It's Never Late for Forgiveness
by Altheryon
Summary: After a cult's new attempt to resurrect the lord of darkness,Soma starts to have visions of his past life as Mathias Cronqvist and his wrongdoings as Dracula and slowly he awakens his true self, while he deals with the deep scars, nightmares and anguish regrets, dreading the reactions of his friends on his returning memories, learning Arikado's true identity and finding redemption.
1. Chapter 01: Yoko

Castlevania: It's Never Late for Forgiveness

After a cult's new attempt to resurrect the lord of darkness, Soma starts to have visions of his past life as Mathias Cronqvist and his wrongdoings as Dracula and slowly he awakens his true self, while he deals with the deep scars, nightmares and anguish regrets, dreading the reactions of his friends on his returning memories, learning Arikado's true identity and finding redemption.

…

 _A/N: Greetings! I'm another big fan of Castlevania and here I am leaving a little tribute in honor of my favorite series of games. At first this is a project of twelve short chapters about a story that I believe I've never read anything similar here. I hope you enjoy! Also, I'm not a native English speaker so forgive any misspellings it may be in here. And for last as usual, Castlevania or any of its characters doesn't belong to me, this is for my own and others fans entertainment._

 _If you haven't read any of my other projects of this collection and would like to read them, the chronological order is:_

 _1- It's Never Late for Forgiveness_

 _2- Sunt Aici_

 _3- Iris of Blue, Green and Gold_

 _4- The Midnight Rose._

…

Chapter 01: Yoko

Due to the strong connection of the Belmont family with the Belnades family through the centuries, the prince of darkness met Yoko when she was only a child, about four of five years old. Having a strong, carefree and adventurous spirit, a straightforwardness personality, the girl soon managed to get into the dhampir's cold demeanor and in time he came to have a sincere affection for her.

A smile shining in the blonde's little face somehow always made the man's look warm at the child's innocence.

Also with time he came to appreciate the cheerfulness, gentle, charismatic and extroverted way that Yoko held herself as the years passed and the little girl blossomed into a beautiful woman; as well became accustomed to the strong determination, persistence and care when searching for something she desires.

And so it happened that night when Yoko found him in the library of the Belnades mansion, sitting quietly reading a book. Between friendly greeting him while thinking in how to approach the desired subject with the man considered unapproachable by many, or throw everything up without care because she doubt he would do anything more than stare at her anyway, she chose the best choice as the second option and went straight to the point.

"So, when are you going to finally tell Soma the truth about who you really are, Alucard?"

The dhampir stared at her with dark striking eyes; see how she was right?

"You know that sooner or later he will find out. I just want to know if it will be by you directly or if you prefer that some other lunatic who wishes Dracula's back does it in your place?"

The man sighed; after a moment he answered, although calm, behind his tone there was a small note of resignation, she noticed.

"I know I should tell him..."

"Still, I can clearly see written in your face that you do not wish to do it. Why so apprehensive? Do you think he'll change his behavior towards you or the others?"

Alucard said nothing this time and Yoko preceded softly.

"I know that Soma cares about you in his way, even when you sometimes act as if you were running away from the plague by avoiding him, and don't look at me like that because you know I am right, and don't try to deny it!"

The damphir sighed again; sometimes he would appreciate the witch's persistence, others it unnerves him. Nevertheless, he started evenly.

"Dracula became evil when his soul was corrupted by the malevolent power of chaos, consumed by the sad memories of his own past ... His hatred for Elizabetha's death and his fury when his offer of immortality was denied by Leon Belmont, initiating all this vicious circle that we have lived for so many centuries ..."

The next words, Yoko noticed, he spoke with some difficulty.

"The death... of my mother, Lisa... destroyed him... and my treason... Threw him into the arms of chaos, eventually driving him completely mad. His ears became deaf to my words, and I ..."

The man closed his eyes and put his face in his hands, reflecting on the day when, after witnessing the horrors committed by his father due to the murder of his mother, he had fled Castlevania, met and allied with Trevor Belmont and years later faced Dracula for the sake of keeping the promise he had made to her.

He asked himself several times if this decision had been correct. If instead of fleeing he had decided to stay in the castle, and perhaps with time managed to diminish the fury and hatred present in the vampire's heart. How many terrible occasions could have been avoided...

Alucard gazed at Yoko with a hard stare.

"Soma was born with a pure soul... I'm afraid of what the weight of these memories may do to his mind. It might destroy him, this almost happened in the castle under the influence of chaos."

"We are not under this influence now." The witch looked at him with pointed look. "I long feared the monster that Dracula had become, you and Julius gave me the courage to face him and seal Castlevania inside the Eclipse. But looking at Soma now, I cannot imagine he, as strong as he is, would fall maddened by such distant memories, and I believe in him ... There is the possibility of Soma remembering everything and remaining with the heart of the good and gentle man who Mrs. Lisa met and loved ... and you know it."

This subject was making him uncomfortable.

"There is no guarantee that this will happen, and I will not put Soma's life and future in jeopardy by past memories that are not worth remembering."

"You're afraid of losing him again, Alucard ... You do not have to admit this to me, but to yourself." Yoko said softly; the man shifted on his chair, purposely avoiding her eyes.

The woman then, asked.

"You may not tell him now... But what if fate does not give you the choice? What will you do? I am sure that getting away is not a solution to solve this situation and much less will prevent Soma remembering. In a way, you two are a bit alike, do not get me wrong ... I think you should talk to him, even if you don't give yourself much credit, Alucard, you are part of that remote past, and is completely present in Soma's life now, and despite all the circumstances and all the happenings, he still is your father."

The dhampir said nothing, and not really expecting he would, stubborn as he is anyway, Yoko decided to leave him in peace with his thoughts and with a slight smile she left the room.


	2. Chapter 02: Soma

_Greetings! Thanks to all who are reading this! To understand my story you must have played, or at least be aware of the plot of the following titles:_ _Castlevania-Lament Of Innocence_ _,_ _Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse_ _,_ _Castlevania - Symphony of the Night_ _,_ _Castlevania - Aria of Sorrow_ _._

 _Although I really like the Lords Of Shadow triology, this fanfic is based on the classic storyline, portrayed in these games above. Also I am not taking into account the plot of Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, because the plot of the first game is much more interesting and is enough to follow this story that happens about_ ** _FIVE YEARS LATER_** _from the ending of Aria. Also, this will not have only twelve chapters as I had initially said, but officially fifteen._

 _Enjoy!_

Chapter 02 – Soma

The group advanced through the deserted corridors of the old building. It was an abandoned temple that for hundreds of years had been used for rituals and offerings to the gods, and now, today stood on top of a hill surrounded by dense and closed forest. Its structure resembled the Shrine of the Hakuba family, with the architecture and decoration typical of Japanese culture, but as they advanced inside the building, the scenery around them started to transform, disappearing the oriental beauty to reveal a more rustic and somber decoration that very much resembled the buildings from the middle ages.

The furniture, the armor, the swords, all set against the walls, and wooden tables with candlesticks; the flames trembled and lit the place partially. The further they advanced, the more it seemed like they had been transported into a castle, though in fact they were still in the Japanese shrine, certain that the setting had been purposely modified to serve the absolute purpose of bringing the lord of darkness back to life.

Soon the sound of voices singing chants and unfamiliar words reached their ears and gradually increased in volume; the group felt a certain urgency, hurrying across the long distance of the labyrinth corridors until they reached a massive double wooden door sealed by magic.

The witch touched the surface and whispered to herself, a strong light emanating from her hands, and immediately dispelled the enchantment, and the vampire hunter struck a violent blow against the frame, breaking the inner locks and throwing away both sides of the door that fell with loud sound in another point of the hall. Alucard, Julius, and Yoko entered the room, immediately searching on the new environment.

It was an oval room without the presence of any furniture or decoration with a clear marble floor that glowed the light emanating from a row of candles sported on the wall. Ritualistic symbols were drawn on the surface, and in the center, a group of six men wearing cloaks that hid their face were prostrated before a stone altar. Above the altar was a thick black cloud of magic that enveloped the whole stone structure, preventing them from seeing what was inside. The air of the place was heavy, making them extremely uncomfortable with the clear invocation of chaos.

When the priests noticed their presence, the men immediately stood and began to attack.

The fight became violent; the group invoking the ritual attacked with ferocity, trying to destabilize the defense mounted by the trio and kill them. Yoko used her magic to create and hold a protective shield around her and her friends, as the two men struggled to outrun their opponents.

The witch focused on the power of chaos that flowed into the room like a steady waterfall, and concentrated on the altar in the center, beginning to chant the words of an ancient magic that made her body wrap itself in a strong golden light. It began to slowly expand through the room, forcing the darkness to retreat, struggling to close the dimensional portals that allowed the black energy to enter the place.

Julius and Alucard fought tirelessly; the more the light dominated the environment, more they strengthened, for the power of the priests was diminishing with the force of chaos being cut off. The dhampir, using his sword, struck a final blow against his opponent who fell defeated on the marble floor, while Julius with the Vampire Killer ended his match with the last fighter still standing; with a blow hurling him hard to the other end of the hall. The man slammed against the wall and fell to the ground.

Coughing blood, raising a little, the priest looked at them with a hallucinated look.

"Too late ... it's done ..."

"You ..." Julius made a movement to approach, but the man fell again already lifeless.

At that moment a huge flash of light filled the entire room, forcing them to close their eyes to not be blinded, and when the intensity diminished until it was completely extinguished, Yoko slipped, feeling a momentary dizziness, and was supported by Julius.

"Yoko?"

"I'm fine, don't worry. The magic has cost me some of my strength, but soon I will be fully recovered." The woman smiled and with worried eyes her attention fell on the altar in the center of the room and both men followed her gaze.

The thick cloud of black energy that hovered over the stone had dissipated, falling like wires of mist that upon reaching the marble floor disappeared until nothing more remained of it or the presence of chaos. On the altar was Soma's body, and although he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, the completely stillness made them uneasy.

The witch took a step towards it but was held by the dhampir whose black eyes were fixed on the silver-haired young man.

"Don't."

"What? We have to help him!" She said worriedly.

"It's not a wise idea. We do not know what they did to him and how long he has been exposed to the energy of chaos. "

"Alucard is right." Julius approached them feeling apprehensive. "Did you hear what that man said? He was convinced that the ritual was finished."

"That means that ..." The woman looked at the young man on the altar with growing horror.

"Yes ... he may be back." The vampire slayer said gravely, his hands gripping the whip hard. "If this is indeed true, we cannot hesitate to do what must be done."

"No ..." The witch whispered, shaking her head. "This cannot be happening ... Soma, he ..."

Yoko looked at the dhampir, the man kept his silence. There was an indecipherable expression on his face and in his black eyes she saw great seriousness ... But also something beyond, hidden ... Was is caution ... Or fear?

"Alucard...?"

There was a moment of silence, tense minutes that had been dragging on, the hunter and the witch waiting for any manifestation of the man.

"I no longer feel the presence of chaos in this room ..." The dhampir began and slowly approached the altar. "... I do not feel it in Soma either."

"He doesn't seem to be breathing," Julius noted, following the other closely.

"Weakly, but he is." Alucard placed his hand on the young man's forehead, frowning at the coldness of his skin. "I cannot say if what the priest said is true, for Soma's life is by a thread ... apparently the ritual doesn't seem to have transformed him, or we would already be feeling the ripples of chaos emanating from his body. On the contrary, it seems to have severely injured him, throwing his conscience into a world of darkness. He's very weak."

Glancing at Yoko, he asked.

"Use your magic to steady him and bring him back. We need him to wake, then, we'll have the confirmation of what actually happened."

The witch nodded, placing both hands on the unconscious man, conjuring spells that rapidly began to spread over him.

"What if it was the worst ... Alucard?" Julius questioned uneasy, observing the altar with a heavy heart.

The dhampir didn't answer.

The silence remained between all while Yoko worked. As the minutes went by, the man's appearance started to improve, becoming more colorful and the skin warm again, the heart beatings more present, and the breathing became constant and regular.

Alucard touched his face and called.

"Soma? Are you listening to me?"

No answer.

"Soma?" The man insisted on a stronger tone.

At first nothing, then the other moaned and half opened his eyes, staring at them with a tired, confused expression.

"What...?"

"Soma?" The dhampir questioned again, holding the man's face in both hands forcing to look at him.

"Arikado ...? What the hell ... Aren't you in California? ... Where I am?"

"Still in Japan, you may be reassured." Alucard answered in a tone that clearly showed some relief; it seems his assumptions were correct and they had arrived just in time.

"Oh Soma!" Yoko hugged him tightly. "We were so worried!"

"Ow, hold ... hold on ... Yoko! My head ... argh ... it hurts like hell ..." Soma put his hands on his face and closed his eyes.

"How are you feeling, Soma, besides your head?" Julius questioned with a softer look, holding him by the shoulders to help the man sit down.

"As if I had been hit by a train." The other mumbled, feeling a little dizzy.

As his vision stabilized, he looked at the ritual hall and at the priests' bodies scattered around in disgust.

"These crazy people ... they came out of nowhere in the shrine when I was helping Mina. They drugged us and I saw nothing more ... Mina, how is she?"

"She's fine, Soma; She become desperate when she woke and saw that you had been kidnapped, but nothing happened to her, they were just after you." Yoko replied, she and Julius helped him up from the altar and Alucard looked at them.

"We must leave immediately. Better not extend our stay here, for we do not know if these six men were the only ones."

Agreeing, Julius and Yoko wrapped their arms around Soma's shoulders and waist, and together the group slowly advanced towards the exit, the silver haired man limped, leaning heavily on his companions.

"Hey, Arikado..." Soma called in one moment, and the man spared him a glance. "Did you bring that Route 66 chain I asked you?"

"How can you even remember about that at this moment?" Yoko asked incredulous.

"Shit, I want that chain…"

"I will think about you case." The dhampir shook his head and said nothing more, completely ignoring the dark mumblings coming from the other man while they proceeded through the corridors.

Soma felt exhausted but at the same time something within himself felt strange, different and he could not name or explain. The man decided to not tell this small thing to the others, for he believed to be just a foolish feeling provoked by the horrible experience he had lived a few moments before.

But in the deep, though he kept ignoring it, something within him seemed to have changed.


	3. Chapter 03: Mina

_Greetings! Here is the third chapter! Again thank you for reading! See you next Friday!_

 _Enjoy!_

Chapter 03 - Mina

Several days passed after the incident had occurred and Mina Hakuba had been relieved when she saw her friend again, crossing the shrine's gates in a somewhat deplorable state. Soma had accepted the invitation of the young woman's father to remain in the sanctuary while recovering, and each day notably he was regaining his strength.

The young woman, after many years knowing her friend, began to notice the small and subtle differences that he came to possess after the kidnapping. Not something extremely apparent enough to draw attention from Julius, Yoko or Hammer who often came to visit to see how Soma was doing. Genya Arikado had returned to the United States so they haven't seen him since then. These changes she saw in some gestures and attitudes, sayings, and expressions that although they were undeniably Soma's, at the same time the priestess didn't remember having seen it in her friend before that dark ceremony.

Mina, as the week went on, began to secretly observe her friend as a feeling of worry also started to grow within her.

Perhaps, because of their great familiarity, she didn't notice the passing of years, always treating each other as siblings who hid nothing from one another and maintained a beautiful friendship that was unbreakable.

It was the first time she'd really noticed how much Soma had changed, no longer looking like the young and sometimes heated boy who always accompanied her in school and annoyed the teachers with his unconcerned air. That personality remained for some time still after they had accidentally got into Castlevania and discovered so many truths in the happenings inside the old castle. But the years made him mature, adopting a more imposing and self-confident attitude. Instead of rebellion, he became more patient and reserved, serious eyes that looked at everything observant and attentive, as well as his appearance, the silver hair that was now short and a light beard he'd grown on his face made him look a lot more than his current twenty-three years.

In this short period, during his stay and the recovery, she often found him standing somewhere in the shrine staring into the distance with grave eyes and an expression that clearly showed that he was lost in his own thoughts. She also noticed that sometimes Soma would keep himself away from everyone to spend hours alone in silence, and when he socialized the man would soon drift away, becoming more introspective and would not tell what seemed to disturb his mind. The priestess also noticed that on some nights her silver-haired friend seemed to walk alone around the surroundings of the holy place, either because he couldn't sleep or, sometimes she thought, because he didn't _want_ to fall asleep at all.

Speaking with her father, the wise man told his daughter that Soma was still greatly affected by what had happened, for surely being kidnapped and going through a ritual summoning the darkness wasn't a very pleasant thing, but with some time, as always, he would eventually open to her because of the great friendship they shared.

And Mina waited.

A week went by, there were no changes. The second week passed, and that strange change in her friend only seemed to be more and more present before the woman's eyes.

At the beginning of the third week, during the night, Mina decided to talk with Soma.

…

 _The castle was in complete silence; the legions of creatures that lived there were concentrated in several points of the highest area of the old and imposing building, waiting with secret eagerness and reverence what was to happen. A large part was concentrated in the throne room whose only illumination at that moment was the pale light of the full moon that entered the place through the large stained glass windows and bathed everything._

 _At midnight the bells of the royal chapel started to ring, its melodic song echoing far across the immense forest that surrounded the castle. The creatures turned in unison to the entrance of the gigantic hall, and there was a man that stood high and proud, a pale and aristocratic face, dressed like a noble with long black hair and eyes of gold that shinned with a superhuman glow. His presence exuded austerity and command._

 _The crowd of creatures immediately split in half like a great sea separating into two parts, creating a path that ran straight and free to the other end of the hall, and the man walked slowly through the passage, his footsteps echoing lightly on the red carpet. Around his neck was a chain of gold that held a beautiful jewel above his breast, it shone like a gleaming star and was the fusion of the sacred stones Ebony and Crimson, which together, united, gave to its bearer the power and right to rule the Eternal Night._

 _As he passed, one by one, the creatures prostrated in respect until all of them, without exception, had bowed before his presence._

 _Reaching the far end of the hall, the man climbed the small staircase and turned to look at the servants in submission who awaited his command. Before them suddenly appeared a great floating creature with long black cloak, carrying in its hands a menacing scythe whose blade shone at the touch of the moonlight._

 _The one who called himself Death pronounced._

 _"My lord, king of the eternal night ... I and your other servants welcome your reign and we submit to your command."_

 _The creature knelt, and the vampire with clear satisfaction showing on his face, sat on the throne of the night._

Soma woke up in a cold sweat.

The man sat on the bed and ran his hands over his face and hair. He was trembling and feeling uneasy about what he had just seen. He already knew that they were not only dreams, after so many nights seeing similar things, but visions about a past life that after the ritual began to awaken from the depths of his soul, slowly, making him remember...

Until that moment he had seen nothing significant, only a few scenes or memories that were unrelated and did not reveal much to him, but he was sure that they were occasions lived by Dracula many centuries ago, but that now, slowly they began to become occasions lived by himself as those memories came to him, and that certainty was far more present in his heart now than they had been five years ago, when he had been aware of being the reincarnation of the lord of darkness as he entered Castlevania for the first time by accident.

No... No accident... But by fate.

Wide awake, after dressing quickly, the man left the room, walked quietly down the corridors until he exited the building. He leaned against a nearby column and allowed the night air to caress his face, sighing, his distant gaze showing his far away mind, reliving the memory of the gloomy castle he had just seen in his sleep, still very clear and fresh.

A few minutes of complete silence passed, then a familiar voice called him softly.

"Soma?"

The man glanced at her.

"You shouldn't be awake at this hour of the morning, Mina ... You should go and rest."

"Yet you have done it often, almost every night." the young priestess said, standing next to him also staring at the night.

"Have you been watching me?" Soma questioned with a certain mistrust that didn't go unnoticed by the woman.

"Actually, I've been worried about you," Mina replied slowly, not wanting to cause a bad impression on her friend and anger him.

"No need to worry about me, I'm fine. I recovered well and I'm planning to return to my apartment this very week." The man said shortly.

"I don't want you to leave now ..." The priestess told him softly, looking directly at her friend. "It's been a long time since you last spent several days here at the shrine with us, even Papa has enjoyed your stay. It brought us back good memories... Why don't you stay a little longer?"

"I don't think it's a good idea, Mina..." Soma answered uncertainly, his voice disappearing with the wind. The man ran his hand over his face. He was tense, she noticed.

"Stay, please ..." The woman asked, holding his hands in hers, surprising him. "I know you are going through a difficult moment, I see that something is clearly bothering you... Stay and I will help you in any way I can."

The man looked at her seriously.

"I believe you can't, Mina... Not this time... Not with this..."

The young woman looked at him for a moment, he turned away.

"You've... changed... Soma..."

She said slowly and he stared at her nonchalantly.

"We are childhood friends, I know you better than anyone else ... And I've realized how distant you've become ... you're isolating yourself, thinking of things that seem to worry you, and as much as Papa insists it is about the cult I disagree, I think it's about something beyond... something bigger... I haven't seen you smile for days; you've actually become a little darker with each passing day... You're not really well, I feel it, and I want to help you..."

The man disengaged himself from her and walked away a few steps, thoughtful, remaining silent for a long time and Mina sat on a nearby bench and waited patiently until he decided to speak for himself.

At a certain moment, Soma raised his face, looking at her for a long time. Then he seemed to make a decision and asked her.

"What would you do Mina... if Dracula returns?"

The content of the question surprised her but she answered him without hesitate.

"It depends..."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Would he be good, or evil?" Mina questioned. "I have heard from Yoko and Julius some of the terrible things he has done in the past, but I doubt he was born so evil... I believe more that horrible things happened and made him what he became..." She thought for a moment what she would say next, and feeling safe, she went on. "Dracula was evil when he was completely defeated and had Castlevania sealed inside the Eclipse... You, Soma, are his reincarnation... in a way, you are him, but you are good, you have a good heart ... I can't imagine you committing the same atrocities ... sometimes it is difficult to think that your soul and of that vampire called as a 'monster' belongs to the same man..."

"But it belongs..." He stated gently, looking at her with an intense look, and suddenly turning his head away, he told her. "They did it, Mina..."

The woman looked clearly confused.

"The ritual was completed successfully ... but not exactly like they had wanted it to be."

Those words took a very long time to be fully assimilated by the priestess who watched her longtime friend in daze as understanding started to sink and show in her eyes.

"You ..." She whispered.

"Yes," Soma confirmed, looking back at her. "I am slowly recovering these memories... Right now they are still strange, confused, I badly understand what they are because they still come to me somewhat disconnected, sometimes when I'm awake, others while I am sleeping... but in a short time I..."

"... you will remember everything." Mina finished softly and the man nodded in agreement.

Both stayed in deep silence for several minutes, this time it was he who waited until the young woman was ready to speak. Mina stared the ground and her shoes, lost in her thoughts, and then slowly lifted her head and looked back at her friend who was still there, standing near the column watching her closely.

"My answer ... remains the same as that day in the castle ... I don't care if your exterior changed, as long as you remain inside the same good person you are now ..."

Mina stared at him with eyes filled with emotion.

"Even if you remember everything about your past... don't forget your present, who you are... don't forget your friends, don't forget me..."

The silver-haired man softened his gaze and approached the priestess, without hesitating he embraced her as he had done many times before to comfort her, and in a firm voice, he said.

"You will always be like a younger sister to me, Mina ... I consider you as my family, you know that, I also hold close to my heart all our friends... I will _never_ forget..."

…

The next morning at breakfast the silver-haired man greeted the workers of the shrine as he used to do every day, seated at the table and poured himself some bread and milk. A few minutes later Mina also entered the room, and when her bright and clearly relieved eyes met his, the man smiled.


	4. Chapter 04: Hammer

_Hi there! Here is the next chapter! Since this will not be a very long fanfiction, some things about Soma I won't take too long to describe in favor to focus on certain points of Soma's memories that I need him somewhat already aware about what's happening, but I promise I'll try to keep it interesting to read._

 _Hope you enjoy^^ Until next Friday!_

Chapter 04 – Hammer

After the incident with Castlevania and the solar Eclipse, Hammer left the American army and decided to open a shop in the middle of Japan with items and artifacts he had found in the dark castle. Over the years the business went well, being widely recognized in the country and generating great profits for him.

Even though he spent most of his time tending to the store, he never ceased contact with those he had met there, creating a great bond of friendship that only deepened with time and when the group had a break, they often come to visit him.

On that sunny afternoon while explaining a few assignments to the two young men assisting him with the work in the shop, Hammer looked through the window and saw a navy blue car parked in front of the property. A smile flashed across his face as he easily recognized who the vehicle belonged to.

Minutes later the small bells on the door rang as it opened, and with great receptivity the ex-soldier greeted his friends.

"Hey guys! How are you? It's been a while since we've seen each other!"

"Good to see you well, my friend." Julius nodded, shaking his hand.

"It really has been a little time! Things have been in some hurry in the church, but now I finally have some peace!" Yoko smiled and greeted him with a light kiss on the cheek, making the man blush slightly.

"Hehe, great! It's good to have some free time to throw away!" Hammer spoke, and looking over the witch's shoulder, he called out cheerfully. "Hey, you two! Why are you standing there, silent and timid? Come here!"

Mina and Soma approached them and the woman greeted him with a gentle smile.

"Hello, Mr. Hammer!"

"How are you, little lady? Taking good care of this plague on your side?" The man asked with a gentle smile.

"Hey! I'm right here!" The silver-haired man complained with an indignant look, making the American laugh, raising his hands.

"Easy boy! I'm just joking with you to see if you can loosen up a bit!" Hammer wrapped his arms around the other's shoulders and hugged him friendly. Soma froze with surprise, but did nothing to push the other away. "I know that ritual business wasn't pleasant, but cheer up a bit, it's over! Let's focus on the present and liven up a little more this visit, won't you? Be good to your host and put a smile on that face and I'll serve you a nice cup of coffee! None of those green teas!"

"Alright, Ham, thanks..." Soma nodded a little awkwardly, shaking his head.

"That's it! Let's go guys, follow me!" The American invited them and the group went deeper into the store.

The silver-haired man followed slowly, Mina looked sympathetically at him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You're ok, Soma?" She whispered gently.

"Yes..." He smiled at her and patted her hand. "Don't worry. Just... trying to get used to it... I'm just a little misfit ... "

"I know. If anything happens, I'm right here, okay? "

He nodded silently and they followed the small group that talked a few steps ahead.

The silver-haired man looked curiously at the place; Hammer had brought so many objects from Castlevania and had acquired so many artifacts and items from other places for resale that they looked like they were inside a little piece of the ancient world, hidden in the midst of all that modernity. Faced with this thought, he couldn't help thinking on how everything in that place seemed familiar to him, perhaps, by the majority being exact items that had once been inside Castlevania, his home...

Soma stopped, frowning deeply at the thought.

He looked up to his friends, but was surprised when he realized that he was no longer in Hammer's shop, but somewhere else completely unfamiliar to him.

 _Inside a humble shop with several weapons scattered on the wooden tables or hung on the walls with iron supports, the young man ran from one side to the other obeying orders from his father, an experienced blacksmith, who was instructing him to search in the back of the establishment for the order made in advance by the noble gentleman currently waiting in the center of the room._

 _The tall man with long black hair, aristocratic face, cunning blue eyes and dressed in a elegantly dark armor, patiently waited for the young man's return as he talked with the merchant about the progress of the war that plagued the region._

 _"Even if we are in difficult times, Lord Cronqvist, I have faith in the strength of our army, and with you and Lord Belmont leading the front, surely soon all this will be over."_

 _"Certainly is what we all desire." The noble replied evenly._

 _At that very moment the front door opened and another knight entered the house. With a messy blond hair and a jovial face, the man nodded toward the blacksmith in cordial greeting and looked with bright blue eyes at his companion._

 _"Glad I found you, Mathias." A smile spread across his face. "I'd like to ask your advice to finish the last details of the plan for the fortress's invasion."_

 _The long-haired knight approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder._

 _"You have all my attention, my friend, but I tell you to not be anxious, for tomorrow it is certain that at this time we will be victorious."_

 _"I do not doubt your words, you are the greatest strategist I know and you have never failed the men, the people or me. In your hands I fully trust my life."_

 _The blond knight smiled even more and embraced the man whom he considered as close as a brother, a gesture that was immediately reciprocated by the other._

 _"I'm sure that when we finally return home, there's a young lady anxiously waiting..." The blonde whispered with amusement._

 _Mathias laughed heartily._

 _"We will choose the date of our marriage then, and you and your betrothed gave us your word to being our Best man and Maid of honor, do not forget."_

 _The blonde gave him a playful wink._

 _"Never, Mathias! Never!"_

"Hey Soma! Wake up!"

The man blinked dazedly and confusedly, his blue eyes fixed on Yoko who was waving a hand before his face, laughing lightly.

"Did you see how his head was in the clouds?" The witch teased, stroking his silver hair.

"Sorry ..." Soma said a little sheepishly.

"No use, the boy is a lost case!" Hammer laughed and Julius, next to him, smiled amused. The American then exclaimed, "We're going to have to take extreme measures!"

Approaching the other, the American put his arm around Soma's shoulders again and dragged him deeper into the shop, talking to him while the others followed with a slight laugh and Mina giving him sympathetic looks, though she could not hide the small smile that slipped on her lips.

"I was thinking of inviting you to spend the next month with me at the Belmont mansion, I know that Yoko will be on vacation and that Soma and Mina are also free to come."

"In Europe?" Mina asked delightedly, Soma on the contrary, listening to the family's name froze with certain astonishment and said nothing.

"That's right," the hunter said with a gentle smile. "I already talked to your father in the temple earlier and he agreed to allow you to come with us."

"It will be great to spend some time there, my dear," Yoko exclaimed enthusiastically. "And Europe is beautiful; you will like the cities and also the forests and landscapes that are breathtaking!"

"I can hardly believe it! I would love to! "The young woman agreed immediately.

"With the shop's constant movement I cannot stay for many days, but I'm sure to have some time in the coming up holidays to stop there for about a week to visit you." Hammer said.

"I also believe you have no objection, Soma, although I have not talked to you before." Julius looked at him with a soft look. "What do you think?"

"Say yes, Soma! It will be very cool! I know you've never been to that side of Europe before! I guarantee you will feel like as if you were at home!" Yoko pleaded.

More than she would ever know, he thought to himself, though the surname Belmont was still ringing insistently in his head, giving him a certain sense of dizziness.

"I guess it would be nice..." He finally said, nodding slowly.

"Oh great! We can already start organizing the luggage and buy the tickets..." Yoko began to speak animatedly, taking all the attention of the group to herself.

Soma kept silent, staring at Julius who didn't notice his look. His friendship with the hunter made him over time forget the small detail of his surname, which seemed to assail his spirit now with overwhelming force, but he was able to keep his restlessness for himself.

His thoughts led him back to the vision he had; the memory of the blond knight... His presence, his face and his extremely familiar voice, brought an indescribable tightness to his heart. He could not explain why, for his mind couldn't remember anything more about the man beyond that strange scene he had witnessed by allowing himself to succumb to his own daydreams.

Extremely puzzled Soma followed the others, remaining silent most of the time.


	5. Chapter 05: Arikado

_A/N: Greetings! Here is the next chapter! We are just one week to see Castlevania Netflix and I am very anxious to watch it! Will be on Friday, July 7, the day of post of my next chapter! ^^ About this one, I think that some of you will like this chapter a lot! Again, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!_

Chapter 05 – Arikado

After the flight that lasted for a few hours, passing through the sea of Japan and eastern China, crossing the skies of the old world, finally they left the Asian continent to enter the European cradle. The plane cruised through lush forests and memorable landscapes before finally landing on the soil of ancient and remote Romania.

The small group formed by Yoko, Soma and Mina, after retrieving their luggage, waited for a few minutes in the small airport with some small talk when they recognized the familiar figure of Julius coming towards them. They greeted each other quickly and the man took some of the luggage and guided them to his parked car near the entrance of the establishment.

"Have you made a good trip?" The hunter asked.

"It was a nice flight! It's always invigorating to breathe new air and my company loved the view of the cabin." The witch laughed.

"It's impressive! I didn't know how beautiful Europe is!" Mina said, laughing in complicity with the older woman. "We took some pictures in the cabin and Soma also took the opportunity to photograph part of the landscape when the clouds allowed us a free view!"

"I wish to see it later." The man smiled.

"Not just see, Julius, you'll also take some too!" Yoko said in a tone that did not admit refusal, and careful to not use the secret name of their common friend in front of the young woman and the silver-haired man, she continued. "And if Genya really manages to come too, I don't care if he tries to refuse; he'll take some pictures too!"

The hunter let out a loud laugh.

"He? Taking pictures?" Julius questioned incredulously. "I'd like to see you try."

"Oh, don't worry about it, even if he grumbles all day he'll do it." The witch had an innocent expression on her lovely face that made a shiver run down the neck of the older man, who shook his head. Better thinking, he didn't want to know.

"By the way," he continued. "Genya is in the Mansion."

"He arrived already?" The witch inquired cheerfully. "When?"

"Last night."

"Great! I was hoping he wouldn't be able to give a last minute poor excuse to not come."

"From what I could understand he has a few pending issues to address here in Europe, so he'll stay with us for a few days," Julius explained.

"Even so, it's great to know he's here!" Yoko nodded in satisfaction.

"Will Mr. Arikado be with us as well?" Mina questioned them, only paying attention to a small part of the conversation.

"That's right." The hunter smiled at her. "He's waiting for us at Belmont Mansion."

"Is it far from here?" Soma for the first time spoke, staring at him with bright eyes.

"About half an hour by car." The hunter answered. "The mansion is not within the metropolitan area; on the contrary, it is more distant, located inside a secluded forest."

"Hmmm." The silver-haired man hummed in acknowledgment, leaning back in his seat to gaze into the landscape with a distant look.

The car after a few minutes, as Julius had told them, had left behind houses and buildings to follow a long road through woods and forests, and the further it deepened into the remote region, the more Soma was filled by great nostalgia and familiarity.

He had seen those trees before, breathed that same pure air, felt the touch of that wind, in another age that now seemed to sink deep into his spirit. This brought him an extremely pleasant and wistful feeling, and some shadows of fragmented memories from which he cannot completely distinguish or comprehend. Then, suddenly, he saw...

 _...in the midst of the pines, shadows of ancient battles, cries of despair and flames rising to heaven, consuming everything they touched..._

The man closed his eyes suddenly and promptly left the window of the vehicle feeling a brief unease, surprising Mina who stared at him confused, and seeing him hide his face in his hands, she touched his shoulder, worried.

"Soma?" She whispered, trying to not attract attention from Julius and Yoko, who in the front seat were engaged in a lively conversation and didn't notice them.

Even with closed eyes the vision did not disappear completely, and for some seconds that seemed an eternity, he continued to hear the metallic sound of swords meeting and armors breaking through shadows that faced themselves with fury and then plunged inert to the ground.

The silver-haired man opened his eyes and breathed deeply, he focused on the face of his young friend who worriedly watched him in silence. With effort he managed to make his mind settle in the present, and the sound of the terrible past war faded, giving way to Julius's deep voice and Yoko's lively laugh.

"The visions again?" The priestess asked sympathetically, keeping her voice low.

"Yes ..." he murmured, running a hand through his misaligned hair. "It's been more frequent ..."

"Do you know what they mean? Can you remember anything else from your past? "

"Nothing that makes any sense ... or at least explains why such destruction or carnage ..."

"Still seeing things about wars?" Mina asked him sadly. "I wish you could remember something about a time when you were good or happy..."

The man smiled softly at her, and touching her face he tenderly caressed one of her cheeks and leaning closer, he whispered to her.

"I don't believe that I could have done something good... or that one day I may have lived things that could bring me some happiness in remembering, Mina... To become what I have become..."

And seeing the grave expression on the young woman's face, he added.

"But don't give any more importance to these things now... Look, by Yoko's expression it seems that we are finally arriving and I cannot wait to drink something hot, it is very cold here this season of the year."

"It's true." The priestess agreed, nodding her head and dressing better the coat she had brought with her.

The vehicle passed through a large black gate and proceeded for several meters yet until the trees finally gave way to a view of an open wide field where in the center was located the beautiful old mansion of the Belmont family. Julius parked in front of the building entrance and the group exited the car. They picked up the luggage and followed the hunter into the place that had a rich Gothic and Victorian decor.

"I'm sure you are all tired. I'll take you to your rooms so you may leave your things and rest a little. Please, feel at home." Julius told them, leading the group up a staircase.

As they reached the second floor of the mansion, however, Soma stopped at the hall's entrance, surprised. In front of him was a large frame that showed the image of a knight, towering in his armor with penetrating blue eyes, disheveled blond hair and a faint smile on his lips.

He knew it, had absolute certainty in his heart that he had seen him before, in the vision he had had while in Hammer's shop.

"This is my ancestor, considered the patriarch of my family." Julius's deep voice sounded close, but Soma did not turn his attention away from the image, allowing his eyes to capture every detail they could observe.

 _Leon..._ The name echoed loud and clear in his mind.

"His name was Leon Belmont," Julius told him, watching the silver-haired man with a thoughtful frown.

"I understand ..." Soma murmured.

After a moment without saying anything else, the silver-haired man turned and didn't look at the frame again, slowly beginning to walk down the hall while the group continued to follow the hunter.

They took a few more steps and Julius began to talk about the rooms, showing where each one of them could stay. As he explained, the group passing in that moment through a wider rest room, a voice interrupted him coming from the opposite side.

"I see you've managed to arrive well."

Soma turned with the others, and the first thing he saw was a tall man, with long, flowing blond hair that fell over his black until it passed his waist, a black armor and a long sword that shinned with a deadly gleam, and a piercing look in his eyes. Shocked, Soma retreated two steps and blinked, and what he had seen disappeared as quickly as it had come, and in the place of that vision, he saw again his friend, a man of equal stature, with straight black hair that fell only to pass the shoulder's line and wearing a dark elegant suit.

But his eyes, though black as night, had the same intensity as the pair of golden eyes that had stared at him before.

They were the same.

Realization hit him hard and Soma felt the air fail his lungs, faint and trembling, he leaned immediately on a close column, feeling as if a huge weight had been thrown at him, as if he would fall at any moment.

"Genya!" Yoko exclaimed excitedly, approaching the man with a broad smile on her face. "I'm glad to see you're already here!"

"I feel the same." The dark-haired man gave her a slight polite smile.

He also greeted Mina and then his attention automatically went to Soma, who stared at him with blue eyes that had a strong, indecipherable emotion. At this moment the dhampir frowned, noticing at once that there was something off about the other man, though he couldn't say at first what it would be. Something different and at the same time strangely familiar that made him curious and intrigued.

"How are you, Soma? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine..." The other replied shortly and tense.

"It must be the temperature. When we left Japan it was not so cold, "Yoko said as a matter-of-factly, looking at her host."We could leave our luggage in the quarters and go to the library, you have a fireplace there that we could light and frighten this cold off a little!"

"It would be great!" Mina immediately agreed, and taking advantage of the clear chance presented to her, the young woman put her arms around her silver-haired friend and started to walk away from the main group briskly. "Soma and I are going to put our things away and meet you in hallway in some minutes, Yoko!"

"Alright! My room is right next to yours, Mina!" The witch said louder.

"Thank you!" The priestess replied.

As soon as she could, she dragged them into Soma's room, and closing the door behind her, she released his arm closer to the bed and the man collapsed almost immediately.

"What happened to you?" She asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"I saw..." The other murmured with a distant look. "That man..."

"Who? Mr. Genya?"

"Yes..." Soma looked into her eyes. "He is my son..."

Mina stared hard, trying to understand what her friend had just revealed to her. For a few seconds she stood there, blinking stupidly, processing the information.

"Wait... what do you mean?" She whispered shocked, saying slowly. "Your son...? I mean ... Dracula's son?... He had a son?"

Those words seemed unbelievable and surreal. The lord of darkness could one day in the past have _loved_ a woman and had a _child_ with her.

"Yes ..." Soma nodded his head slowly; he himself seemed to try to assimilate the shock of the emotions.

"How can you say that?" She asked him.

"I don't know… I'm just... sure."

After a moment of complete silence, Mina started slowly.

"If that's true then ... Mr. Arikado has fought Dracula with Julius and Yoko before to seal Castlevania on the 1999 solar Eclipse. Why would he do it ... if Dracula was his own father?"

"Because of what I've become, that's for sure, but the facts that led to it ... I do not know ... I cannot remember ..." Soma muttered, closing his eyes.

"Do you think... does he know? That you are recovering your memories? The way Mr. Genya looked at you earlier..."

"Adrian ..."

The girl stared at him confused, and the silver-haired man told her.

"His real name ... is Adrian ..."

That word came to him suddenly out of nowhere, and solidly. So meaningful, it passed his lips with great familiarity and a feeling of longing so strong that he felt his heart ache.

"He doesn't know... He was just curious because he noticed my momentary instability, but the real reason still remains hidden." Soma looked at her. "I have to be careful, he's extremely observant... I cannot let him realize what's happening to me."

"Because…?"

"Because I don't know what could happen, Mina ... You are understanding and you have been my confidant for years, but I don't know how he or the others would react... I don't even know how _I_ will react when everything comes back to me..."

The woman held his hands tightly.

"You will remain Soma."

…

Later, during dinner, while they sat at the table talking about different subjects, Soma remained silent with his attention focused on the food. He purposely sat as far as possible from the dhampir, and for all time he avoided looking at him at all costs.

He knew that if he did, he could denounce how much his mind was still disturbed at that moment by the sudden revelation, and he could not let it away to the ever-attentive eyes of the other man.

He took the fork in his hands and ate a portion of his food, but to his surprise it had barely reached his stomach and he began to feel strangely ill. Without understanding, he immediately stopped.

"Hey, Soma, are you okay? You do not look very well ..." Yoko's worried voice called softly across the table.

"It's okay ... just a little stomachache." He forced a smile and brushed his plate back politely, then stood up. "I apologize, but I'll let dinner go... I'm going to rest for a while in my room."

"I'm sure I have some medicine for this with me, I'll take it to you shortly, Soma." The hunter spoke sympathetically and Mina stared at him with expressive eyes, keeping her silence.

"I thank you. Please do not bother with me, enjoy dinner."

With a short farewell the silver-haired man quickly left the room, his figure being followed close by the dhampir's black eyes watching him with intensity.

Soma had another dream that night.

…

 _The man was laying on the small staircase before the throne, his long black hair scattering around his back, his robes made of noble cloth were torn and dirty by large dark-red patches, and his extremely pale face, with eyes closed, rested on the floor, stained with traces of tears that had been overflowing for hours._

 _He was tired, but not in body. His soul was exhausted, tormented._

 _In his blind fury he had killed everyone in the village without any second thoughts... Yet nothing he had done could alleviate the terrible pain in his mind, in his very soul, that seemed to consume him completely._

 _She was dead._

 _Much time passed and the vampire remained that way, without any of his servants daring to disturb the master in his mourning. Then, gradually, on a cold winter night, the lord of darkness began to rise. When his mind had briefly stopped tormenting him with the painful memory of his wife, he remembered his seven-year-old son who waited for him somewhere in the castle, his little heart as sad as his own._

 _After saving him from the villagers who were about to execute him as the 'son of the devil', Mathias left the boy in the care of Death who took him back to Castlevania while the vampire remained in the village._

 _He had not seen the boy since._

 _"Adrian ...?" He whispered in a weakened call, and then more awake, called again louder. "Adrian?!"_

 _The lord of darkness teleported to another part of the castle and entered into the room that belonged to his son with some urgency, for he was not listening to the beating of the child's heart as he was capable of before._

 _The place was empty._

 _"Adrian ?!" Mathias called several times, searching the room that was his and Lisa's, and also in others rooms nearby, without success._

 _"DEATH!" The vampire ordered and immediately the creature appeared in front of him, obeying his master's call, and knelt down._

 _"Lord Mathias."_

 _"Where's Adrian?" The man inquired harshly, his golden eyes sparkling with concern and urgency. "Where is my son?!"_

 _The vampire could feel the clear confusion emanating from the creature._

 _"But sir, I left him lying in his room five hours ago..."_

 _"HE'S NOT THERE!" The man bellowed, semi hysterical._

 _All the creatures of the ancestral castle, upon realizing what had happened, immediately began a great search for the little prince in all areas of Castlevania, but the more they sought, the vainer, and the greater certainty began to settle between them._

 _The vampire at one point left the comfort and protection of the castle and went out into the outer courtyard, under an intense snowstorm, the scene was completely white and bleak._

 _"ADRIAN !"_

 _Mathias called, but his voice was lost in the force of the wind and silence was the only thing he received in return._

 _The boy had disappeared._


	6. Chapter 06: Leon

_Greetings! I made some minor corrections in the previous chapters, I believe they are now more pleasant to read. From 14 chapters I did the correction to 15 in total and also fixed the errors in Chapter 2 regarding Alucard's eyes, which are not gold because he was using the illusion of 'Genya Arikado', but black eyes._ _Soma never saw Alucard in his real appearance._

 _Since I know Castlevania's base story was inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula, I also relied a little on it to write one of Mathias's memories that is described here in this chapter, fusing it with certain events from Castlevania: Lament of Innocence._

 _Enjoy!_

Chapter 06: Leon

The Belmont mansion, they discovered, was relatively large, with two floors and about fifteen bedrooms, dining room, kitchen, a library, a small gallery with a nice collection of armor, shields and old weapons, a mini chapel for prayers and outside the property was also built a large swimming pool that was covered due to the intense cold of the season of the year.

Soma and Mina took advantage of the tranquility of the next morning to walk alone in the corridors of the mansion and talk in privacy while Julius, Yoko and Alucard had gone to the nearby village to buy provisions for the week.

The priestess frowned thoughtfully.

"Do you think the ritual affected you so much that your body slowly began to transform?"

The man nodded.

"I wasn't indisposed yesterday, Mina... I simply put the food in my mouth and I could not eat anymore, I felt an inexplicable repulsion, but today it didn't happen at breakfast, as if it were a slow and sometimes inconstant change; I also feel that my powers that had weakened five years ago are now coming back to me, and I gradually find myself a little stronger, although I have not tried to use them yet to not attract the other's attention."

"But Soma ... Your body was exposed to the very black energy of chaos... it could even have absorbed something of it, reason to your powers returning, but ... would that be capable of transforming you into a vampire again?"

"Yes, it was how I managed to transform in the past... when I was Mathias Cronqvist..." The silver-haired man stopped, the words that came out so sure and revealing from his own mouth had surprised him greatly, and he felt like another small piece of the big puzzle that was his life came to fit.

Suddenly worried, he stared at the young woman.

"This is bad... If I eventually become a vampire it will be impossible to hide it, Mina! There must be some way to stop this or to extract the energy of chaos from my body before it's too late!"

"Or... find some way to hide it..." The priestess give her friend a meaningful look. "You told me that Mr. Arikado is a dhampir, half human, half vampire, and that how we see him now is not his real appearance."

"That's correct."

"He certainly uses some magic or a powerful spell that helps him disguise. If he can do it, nothing prevents you from doing the same."

"It must be a spell... work from Yoko, no doubt," Soma muttered with grave certainty.

"If it's really her's, then you should not worry, I'll find out in time to help you if this extreme measure is needed, Soma."

He glanced at her in disbelief, she laughed lightly and winked.

"I may have forgotten to mention that I'm learning some little magic tricks with Yoko... Others I consult her books without her knowing, but that's beside the point, so don't worry, at first, this it's a situation under control."

The silver-haired man shook his head and couldn't help but laugh.

"You're getting as impossible as she is," he teased and Mina just smiled innocently in response.

Both friends proceeded along the hall of the first floor where most of the different rooms were located, since the upper floor of the mansion was only formed by the fifteen private bedrooms.

At one point while Mina observed some of the decorations on the wall, Soma glimpsed a beautiful wooden door full of engravings and carvings that reminded him of Julius briefly mention it the night before as the entrance of the chapel. Feeling strangely attracted, the silver-haired man approached, touched the knob with his right hand and without hesitation he opened the door and entered...

 _The reserved room of the small old church of the village was partially immersed in the shadows, the only source of light being a small candlestick whose three candles burned its flame ceaselessly. Its golden light shone on the large crystal cross set in the center of the altar._

 _The man with long black hair, aristocratic features and intense blue eyes watched the two priests with great fury._

 _"... I am sorry, Lord Mathias ... But suicide is unquestionable ... The soul of your wife has already been cast into hell and her body cannot be veiled within the holy church nor buried in sacred ground."_

 _"Your mediocre and ignorant fools!" The nobleman shouted feeling his body shaking with the overwhelming hatred that was overpowering him. "Elisabetha received a false letter from our enemies telling her I was dead! She left for the village in an act of desperation!"_

 _"Yet she knew of the plague that had spread on the village and condemned herself with the disease that consumed her life. She committed suicide, leaving the security of your house to throw herself into a place that already has been devastated by the devil... I'm sorry, but the church will not do anything for her."_

 _"Is this the judgment of God for whom I have spent my whole life serving?! For in the only time that I ask for something in return, for_ mercy _, to only show me THE FACE OF DISDAIN?!" Mathias bellowed and pushed the two priests who fell on the ground deeply frightened._

 _The nobleman looked at the cross on the altar and was overcome with great anger. He took it in his hands and threw the cross violently on the ground, breaking it into a thousand pieces..._

Soma retreated, trembling and shaken, blinking, his blue eyes staring at that moment into a simple little chapel of prayer, well lit by the pale light of the sun that entered through the window. It was completely empty.

Mina, sensing his startle, touched his shoulder.

"Is everything okay, Soma?" The silver-haired man didn't answer.

Suddenly he turned and walked briskly down the hallway as the priestess followed him as she could, trying to keep up with his long footsteps. Soma returned to the entrance hall of the old mansion and went up the staircase that led to the second floor. His attention immediately settled on the large frame, and his eyes met his old friend's eyes.

The images flashed through his mind, but to him it seemed as if he was reliving each one of them as the memories of those remote, distant and forgotten years began to come back to him completely...

 _He saw two boys who had just met, watching each other, then they shook hands in greeting. From an early age they had become inseparable friends. The passage of the years solidified this friendship, in their eyes they were the same, they were brothers._

 _They became knights of God at the same time, going through the arduous tests and being consecrated with their conquest; one was extremely well known for his bravery and combat skills, the other for his great intelligence in battle strategies and vast knowledge in the art of alchemy._

 _Separated, each stood out to all with great notoriety, together with their combined forces, no army was able to defeat them._

 _Mathias Cronqvist married Elisabetha around the same time that Leon Belmont became engaged to Sara Trantoul._

 _A little time passed and then everything collapsed around them both._

 _Elizabetha, afflicted by a serious disease that devastated some villages in the region, died, and he, dominated by mourning, fury and hatred, used his knowledge of alchemy to deepen research into black magic, where he learned how to invoke the power of chaos and through it transformed himself into a vampire and vowed that he would use his eternity to curse the God who had abandoned him and his wife._

 _He convinced Walter Benhard to kidnap Sara, so that Leon could defeat him and with the soul of the vampire, he could improve the power of Crimson Stone, and uniting it with Ebony Stone, eventually he would conquer the throne of Eternal Night._

 _His initial intention never was to kill Sara, but he had admitted to himself that at the time he did nothing to interfere with Walter's plans to transform her. As Master of Alchemy, he was aware of the sacrifice necessary for the birth of the whip that his friend, years later, with great irony named Vampire Killer, and yet..._

 _He did nothing to stop it._

 _Then, when they met for the last time, Mathias had stretched out his hand to him, and offered._

" _Then come with me. I will give you eternity, too."_

 _Leon, incredulous, stared at him motionless, filled with fury and the sense of betrayal._

" _You wretched fool. Is this what the woman you loved would have wanted? The Mathias I know would not have loved such a woman."_

" _Elisabetha was a kind honorable woman. She was concerned only for me to the very end... That is why I hate Him! Am I wrong?! Did you not defeat Walter with hatred in your heart, too?"_

 _The vampire replied, raising his voice._

" _Yes. I'd be lying if I claimed otherwise. But defeating him... No, preventing others from suffering the same cursed fate... That was Sara's dying wish... Granting my beloved's wish. that is all I can do to prove my love to Sara."_

 _Leon looked at Mathias with deep sadness, and his voice faded with the night breeze._

" _Eternity without her would be nothing but emptiness."_

" _Leon…" The vampire whispered and shook his head slowly. "I thought that you would understand…"_

 _Mathias stepped back and looked at the window, watching the sky gradually brighten. He spoke to the other man._

" _Dawn is coming... Farewell, Leon."_

 _The vampire left, disappearing into the shadows that still lingered in the forest around the castle, but even as he drifted away, he could hear the oath of the one whom he once thought of as a brother, a cry that echoed loudly in the deep of his soul._

"… _I will never forgive you!... From this day on, the Belmont Clan will hunt the night!"_

Soma closed his eyes and leaned heavily against the wall next to the staircase, ran his hands over his face feeling a deep sadness crumble over his soul. Mina standing beside him, touched his shoulder gently and the silver-haired man took a deep breath, trying to get his head back in place. He glanced at the priestess and gave her a faint smile, trying to show he was well, although what he had remembered had stirred deeply inside him.

The silver-haired man looked at the frame once more, his blue eyes dark with contained emotion.

At this very moment the front door of the mansion opened and Julius, Yoko, and Alucard entered the old building carrying bags of the purchases made in the village.

Seeing them, the witch's face brightened.

"Soma! Mina! I brought some things from the village that I think you will like!"

"Seriously?" Mina asked with great curiosity and Soma, partially recovered, likewise looked evenly at the woman with long blond hair.

"Yes! Come on, I'll show you!" Yoko called and Mina was the first to walk down the staircase.

Julius, next to the witch, looked at the frame of his ancestor and his attention fell on the silver-haired man and realized that Soma was staring at him with a grave expression and blue eyes filled with a shadow and something else that he could not identify at the moment. The hunter frowned thoughtfully and kept his silence.

Soma slowly started to walk down the stairs following Mina, his mind still focused on the Belmont clan and Julius.

The silver-haired man deeply lamented the events that had taken place in the past and which had led him and his brother creating a war between them. A war that would last until many centuries later. And even so distant, those sad images filled his heart with longing and also remorse for he had greatly cherished the sincere friendship he had with the other knight and it was by his own attitudes, his choices in a moment of hatred and pain, that he had put aside all what they had for a revenge that was never fulfilled, but that only seemed to make the following centuries into more terrible and empty years.

He still could not quite remember what had happened after that night, but remembering all the life he had spent as a human made him look at Julius with a heart full of regret. For the past five years he had developed a beautiful and sincere friendship with the current heir of the Belmont family, something that came to them both so naturally and reciprocally that he had surprised the hunter himself, who in time came to open up and trust the other man and minimize the fact that his friend is the reincarnation of the lord of darkness.

Only at that moment Soma realized that his natural and genuine friendship with Julius was due to the hunter, unconsciously, remind him of Leon, their personalities were very alike.

The silver-haired man was filled with sudden apprehension, for he greatly valued the friendship he had developed with the hunter and feared what might happen if Julius would ever discover...

Soma stopped abruptly that line of thought, and watched in silence as Julius and Alucard wandered off together to another spot in the mansion.

Gazing at them at that moment, he made up his mind to finish once and for all the war that had arisen between him and his friend's family in respect for Leon's memory and his friendship with Julius at the present time, even if the hunter would never know.


	7. Chapter 07: Richter

_Greetings! Again, I would like to thank you all who are accompanying this; I hope that you are enjoying reading as much I am enjoying writing it. Here I bring chapter seven named Richter, feeling a great sense of nostalgia from good memories of the game_ _Castlevania: Symphony of The Night_ _, and I am certainly that some of you will also remember a little those long hours expended exploring Castlevania as Alucard while searching for Dracula! A little tribute in honor of all fans of this memorable title!_

 _Enjoy!_

Chapter 07: Richter

Still carrying with him thoughts about his friend's family, Soma spent that entirely week thinking about what he had already remembered, somehow trying to relate the still fragmented images with his memories of Leon and the events that started the war between Dracula and the Belmont clan. His efforts proved to be useless, for after he had left his previously life and everything related to the blond knight behind, a large black ocean appeared inside his head from which small islands emerged, containing isolated events which still did not reveal much to him, such as the strange and turbulent dream that he had after seeing Adrian for the first time with his memories beginning to return.

 _That_ was another very complicated matter for him to deal with.

It seemed crazy, he often caught himself thinking, about how that could even be possible. Besides the memory of having searched for a small boy all over Castlevania and not having found him, there was nothing else in his mind in that moment that showed more about the boy. He didn't even remember how he looked, let alone something that could relate him to the man with long black hair who was also there with them in the mansion, but still...

 _It was him... His son..._ That was an absolute certainty in his heart since the moment he laid his eyes on the dhampir.

There were many questions that continually confronted itselves inside his head and he desperately wanted answers, something that could explain what was happening, why he had _this_ certainty. He wanted to force his subconscious to remember a little more, anything that could show him something more about the other man that was still to him as mysterious as he was on the day they first meet five years ago.

When they were all together he sought to be as discreet as possible, sociable without attracting much attention to himself and avoiding as he could addressing Genya Arikado more than was strictly necessary, being cautious. But when he was alone on certain points of the mansion where he had a wide view of the halls, Soma began to develop the terrible habit of watching the other man from distance when he was absolutely sure that the other hadn't noticed him.

He stared at him as if he was part of a large complex puzzle whose parts were difficult to fit in... A comparison that was not entirely untrue.

In that exact moment Soma was on the second floor of the old Belmont mansion leaning close to the end of a corridor with his silhouette partially hidden by the wall. He stared thoughtfully at the dhampir while he and Julius chatted on the lower floor of the mansion, his attention mostly on the black-haired man.

It was when he heard footsteps echoing softly over the carpet approaching him from behind and he briefly diverted his attention from his friends and saw Mina stopping at his side. The young priestess looked at him as well at the two men on the lower floor, and with understanding in her countenance the woman touched her friend's shoulder gently with one hand and gestured for him to accompany her. At first he made no reaction, then slowly nodded in agreement and after casting one last glance at the dhampir and the hunter, Soma followed her and they silently walked away.

They walked for a few minutes until they reached the staircase that led them back downstairs, and then went on a little longer until they left the mansion completely. The sky that day was completely cloudy, not allowing the sunlight to pass which made the gray outside's environment even colder with the season's advance. It seemed to reflect the current mood of the silver-haired man, who, with the young woman beside him, walked on until they went deeper into a garden that had been grown near the northern area of the old building.

And far from ears that could easily catch any conversation, Mina finally addressed her friend going straight to the point.

"You've been watching him a lot these past few days."

Soma remained silent and she looked at his face.

"Why don't you try to talk to him?"

"I don't know what I'd say..." He told her.

"Even so, I see clearly how much you want it. It's written on your face, partially hidden in your eyes."

"After what happened at Castlevania I tried to talk with him about what happened at the castle, but I didn't have much success, since then I've never tried to get closer to 'Arikado' in the last few years." The silver haired man said the name feeling only at that moment how strange it sounded pronounced by his own mouth. Shaking his head, he continued. "Would not it be strange of me to suddenly show great interest in friendship? And also, as much as I've been ignorant of everything so far, Adrian has never been. He always knew and never tried to approach me for anything more than simple cordiality between acquaintances."

Mina stopped and looked at him meaningfully.

"You're afraid to talk to him, Soma."

The man stared at her in surprise, not knowing what to say at first. After a moment of silence, he began to speak slowly.

"I try to remember, but I still can't... I'm not afraid to talk to him... I just fear that the things I did in my past might have been terrible to the point that he couldn't bring himself _to want_ to get more involved with me than we are today for the simple fact of knowing that I am the reincarnation of his father..."

The priestess put a hand on his shoulder and told sympathetically.

"You'll never know if you don't try, Soma. For everything there is a beginning. I'm not saying to become best friends overnight, but talk to him, show that you're willing to have a good relationship now, as you are today. Try it, and then you'll see if he will accept."

The silver-haired man smiled gently and nodded silently in thanks. Mina changed the subject and talked about lighter things with her friend as they continued the brief walk through the garden and Soma accompanied her, though a majority of his thoughts were still focused on the dhampir.

...

 _Sitting on the throne of the night the vampire took a sip of blood from his goblet. With his face turned into a mask of severity, cold golden eyes staring at the front door of the hall, Dracula waited for his opponent's arrival. He had kidnapped the young girlfriend of the current Belmont heir and also a little girl who he believed to be a distant relative in order to force him to come to Castlevania and thus completely annihilate the family of hunters._

 _As he thought of the Belmonts the blood began to boil in his veins and he felt a deep, voracious and growing hatred inside his heart that entwined with his soul, increasingly felling the darkness grow within him, seize his body, and he gave himself to it completely, plunging into the sea of fury and blood._

 _The entrance door to the throne room opened and a tall man with long brown hair, dressed in an elegant royal blue garment entered the room, walked resolutely to the center, glared at the vampire and exclaimed arrogantly._

" _Die monster. You don't belong in this world!"_

 _The vampire frowned in a mixture of irritation and contempt. As if with simple words he would out of nowhere just drop dead on the ground. Really..._

" _It was not by my hand that I am once again given flesh. I was called here by humans, who wish to pay me tribute."_

" _Tribute?" The Belmont spoke in disbelief, sounding as if he had been offended. "You steal men's souls, and make them your slaves."_

" _Perhaps the same could be said of all religions." The vampire replied sarcastically._

 _Richter took a step forward._

" _Your words are as empty as your soul. Mankind ill needs a savior such as you."_

" _What is a man?!" Dracula shouted, seized by sudden fury._

 _He rose from the throne and threw the empty goblet away; it broke into several pieces as it touched the floor._

 _"A miserable little pile of secrets!" The vampire sneered coldly, watching the Belmont with narrowed eyes. "But enough talk; have at you!"_

 _Dracula teleported to attack his opponent who wielded the whip, ready to fight; Then suddenly the whole scene was enveloped by a deep darkness that seemed to linger for a long time until finally it began to dissipate. When this happened, the vampire was lying on the small staircase in front of the throne, with his elegant garments blooded and ripped apart._

 _Looking at his opponent he didn't see the Belmont heir who had been there to face him, but another man... He was tall, wore black armor, and carried in his hands a long silver sword and a red shield bearing the symbol of a beast. He had long golden hair that fell on his back, white skin and golden eyes that looked at him with indifference._

 _"Tell me. What... What were Lisa's last words?" The vampire asked in a choked whisper._

" _She said 'Do not hate humans. If you cannot live with them, then at least do them no harm. For their's is already a hard lot.' She also said to tell you that she would love you for all of eternity..." The dhampir answered soberly._

 _Dracula closed his eyes and felt a deep sadness overcome his spirit._

 _"Lisa, forgive me." he whispered, and looking at the other man, told him. "Farewell my son..."_

Soma awoke suddenly from his sleep, confused and disturbed. The feeling of deep sadness was still present in his heart, and without any conditions to even try to sleep again, the silver-haired man decided to walk a little to think and try to calm his spirit.

As he stepped out into the hallway he bumped into a piece of décor he had forgotten it sat by his door, and cursing softly, carefully the man rearranged the pot in its spot hoping no one had heard him.

Walking through the corridors with only the silence and the pale moonlight that pierced the windows as companion, he allowed his thoughts to bring back the strange dream.

The figure of the man with long brown hair and blue garments was familiar to him, he was sure to be someone from the Belmont clan though his real name he could not remember as his memory remained still vague and incomplete. The other, however, had stirred within him in a way that made him uneasy. Contrary to the dream he had had the other night, this one showed him briefly the real face of his son, whose facial resemblance was undeniable with the current appearance of Genya Arikado, even under the effects of the illusion and only served to confirm the certainty that the black-haired man was indeed Adrian.

And also the conversation they had, the name he said...

 _Lisa..._ Again the word echoed clearly in his mind and Soma shuddered, running his hands over his face.

Why did that name bring so much anguish and sadness? Who was this woman? He tried to force his mind to remember but only saw a deep darkness that revealed nothing more to him about his past.

The silver-haired man came downstairs to the library, deciding to stop there and try to rest his mind, but upon entering the room he realized that he was not alone.

"Arikado..."

The dhampir, wearing only a large white shirt unbuttoned on the top and black trousers, no sign of the dark suit he used to wear, watched him from the chair where he sat. The fireplace was out and the only source of light came from the moon, entering the room and partially touching the face of the black-haired man.

"Soma... Why are you awake at this hour?" He asked.

"I cannot sleep. Could even say that my dreams don't help me much." The other answered, walking to stand next to the window to look at the night landscape.

"Dreams?" Alucard questioned with mild curiosity.

"It's about things... that happened a long time ago in my life, but they are not important right now."

The silver-haired man shrugged, and a not very comfortable silence settled between them. After a few minutes, Soma looked at the other man and asked, trying to break the awkward quietness.

"So... Do you often come to the library?"

"Sometimes to read, sometimes just to think in silence."

"You don't have any book on your hand now..." Soma pointed. "Am I bothering your thinking?"

"No." The dhampir replied merely, without attempting to continue the conversation, and again both were silent.

Feeling bothered and part frustrated, the silver-haired man ran his hands over his face and observed his silent companion who was now looking at another spot in the library, seeming to analyze the titles of the books while deliberately keep ignoring him. Looking more closely, Soma noticed some small details on the other man's pale face.

 _He's tense..._ And frowning, he realized sharply that it was precisely his presence in that place that was making the dhampir act that way. Deciding to push him a little more, he wanted to find out just exactly how far he could pull him.

"You seem worried about something," Soma said, breaking the silence. "Did you come here tonight to think about any particular problem?"

"Government affairs." The other replied evenly.

"Government affairs..." The silver-haired man repeated slowly. "... Like the ones that made you come to Castlevania, five years ago?"

The dhampir looked up and stared intensely at the other with narrowed black eyes, and Soma again pulled.

"You get bothered when I mention what happened at the castle, and it's not the first time this happens. I remember trying to talk with you shortly after the eclipse had passed and you always avoided the subject."

"There's nothing to be talked about that place, Soma. I've already asked you to just forget about Castlevania."

He truly didn't know what _possessed_ him to say what he said next.

"Actually you mean to _forget_ that I am Dracula's reincarnation."

Alucard visibly seemed to get even tenser.

"It's kind of hard..." The silver-haired man went on with a certain irony that he could not contain. "... since I was just kidnapped because of that very reason."

"Soma..." The dhampir began to say in a warning tone.

"Why?" The other questioned abruptly. "What did Dracula do to you?"

What was he _doing_? The silver-haired man screamed in his own mind. Throwing it all away into the trash can?! It was not for the conversation to go on like this. Why couldn't he _stop_?!

Alucard stood up quickly.

"He and I... these are things that stayed in the past, forgotten and completely erased. It doesn't affect me now. Whether you are his reincarnation or not, it doesn't change who you are today or the life you have. Do not give importance to these matters, they are not worth it."

"They aren't worth of my attention?!" Soma inquired, half incredulous and half irritated. "They performed a macabre ritual trying to wake him up again, and what if it had worked out and Dracula had returned?!"

"He _will not_ come back!"

Alucard almost shouted, asserting loudly, harshly and conclusively in a way that cut the other man sharply like a razor, startling him, and also, in the deep, saddening him. They both stared at one another in silence; the dhampir breathing heavily and the other watching him with wide-eyed blue eyes.

Controlling his temper, Alucard then took a deep breath and said in a more calm and evenly tone.

"If I have any power over this matter, I will not allow it. You shall not lose the live that you have today, I can reassure you."

Soma watched him with a certain grimness hidden in his countenance, and inquired slowly in a whisper.

"What happened in your past was so horrible that you don't even want to think about it?"

"Enough Soma!" The dhampir cut roughly. "I will not discuss this with you. _Listen_ to my advice and _forget it_ , because that's what _I did_. For me, _it doesn't mean anything anymore_!"

Soma flinched, feeling as if he had taken a hard slap in the face, and stunned, saw the black-haired man turn back and walk briskly towards the exit.

"Arikado..."

He called out weakly and the dhampir stopped by the door without looking at him.

"You... Forgive me... I should not have made you remember memories that aren't pleasant to you..." The silver-haired man spoke neutrally, though inside he felt completely bitter.

Alucard said nothing, just went on his way and left the library in silence.

Tremulous, Soma leaned against the eaves of the window and looking at his reflection on the glass, he was astonished to see tears streaming down his face involuntarily.

"Soma..." Mina's soft, timid voice called him and he turned to find the young woman standing at the entrance to the library, watching him with sadness on her face.

"You heard..." he murmured.

"Yes... I'm sorry... I was awake and I've heard you bump into the decoration and realized that you had another nightmare again... I wanted to help and I followed you, but I didn't enter the library when I listened you speak Mr. Arikado's name... Don't worry, he didn't see me, I was hiding."

The silver-haired man nodded slowly, whispering.

"So... You know there's nothing to be done..."

The priestess approached her friend and took his hands in hers, stroking them gently.

"Some things take time... If it didn't work now, doesn't mean that in the future there won't be an opportunity to succeed... He is not ready yet to know your truth, Soma, he is not ready yet to accept... But don't give up, don't be like this..."

Breathing deeply and feeling a heavy weight on his soul, suffocated by a darkness that seemed to want envelop his spirit, the silver-haired man spoke to his friend in a ragged whisper.

"It's my fault Mina... I may not remember what happened in the past, but I'm sure, deep down in my soul, that _it is_ my fault... I pushed him away... My son... I lost him completely..."

Not knowing what to say or how to comfort him, the young woman only embraced her friend and they remained in silence for a long time until the sun began to rise.


	8. Chapter 08: Death

_Greetings! Here I bring you Chapter 08! I thank you all who are acompainign this story and I would also like to thanks who reviewed. As a writer, your opinion surely means a lot to me!_

 _Hope you enjoy!_

Chapter 08 – Death

The next morning Mina, wishing to distract a little her friend's mind, who had become somewhat depressed after the events of the previous night, proposed to go to the nearby village with the excuse of seeing more of Europe, since it was the first time the young priestess visited that region of the world. Even without great encouragement or will, the silver-haired man agreed to his friend's request and both left the Belmont mansion a short time later after breakfast.

The nearest town was located just beyond the edge of the forest that surrounded and concealed the mansion. It was a small and a remote village, but it drew attention to the beautiful architecture of the houses and buildings as well as the hospitality of its residents.

They walked together through the streets during the morning, visiting some places and talking to some people who told them a few things about the history of the area and some legends that had survived the centuries and were inherited, being passed down to each new generation.

They had lunch in a cozy and comfortable restaurant, taking their time for they were not in a hurry. They talked about light subjects and Mina laughed when she saw that she managed to bring a faint smile in her friend's lips, who shook his head and said again that she was impossible.

Soma paid the bill and both left the small establishment. As they stepped on the sidewalk, their countenance acquired great surprise, especially Mina who exclaimed.

"Wow, how much fog here! How strange, it was a beautiful and clear sunny day just some minutes ago!"

"It's something common here, young lady!" A woman who passed by them smiled gently. "At this time of year the days often oscillate this way every hour."

"Thank you so much!" Mina thanked, smiling back.

Soma frowned beside her, remaining silent.

Both friends, a few minutes later, discovered that the small town had an interesting tourist spot located a few meters inside the forest, a small cavern that sprouted the water for the nearby stream that supplied the village, and that soon a group of tourists led by a guide would leave to visit the place that was considered sacred by the inhabitants, and being free for the afternoon, Soma and Mina decided to go with them.

Within a few minutes of walking after the group had left the small town, all the forest surrounding them also began to be filled with the thick fog that seemed to have followed them inside. The guide who led the tourists had been forced to slow down a little to be able to see the marks of the trail he knew so well, and thus, through his experience, managed to take the group along the tortuous path between the trees.

They were moving at a slow pace, feeling a little nervous with the absolute silence that the forest around them had been immerged. There was not a single sound of birds singing or anything from animals that lurked around. A strange sensation came over the group, but they went on.

Mina at that point of the course had approached Soma and was already holding him by the arm as if afraid to lose sight of him. The silver-haired man followed the guide in silence, staring into the intense mist around him with a deeply thoughtful countenance.

Then suddenly he stopped.

"Soma?" The young priestess whispered, watching him confused.

"I know what's going on here..." He murmured, then, looking at her, he smiled slightly. "Don't worry, it's nothing you need to fear."

"If you say so... I trust you." The woman nodded.

"I need to leave you for a few minutes." At his friend's apprehensive look, the man stroked her hair gently and said. "I'll be back sooner than you think."

"Alright..." Mina agreed slowly, careful to not to lose sight of the main group as she worried watched Soma plunge completely, disappearing into the dense mist.

The man walked for a few minutes in the fog and stopped at one point. He closed his eyes and stayed that way for a brief moment, then suddenly felt that he was no longer alone in the clearing, and opening again his eyes, Soma encountered a large creature wearing a black cloak and with a skeletal appearance that floated above the ground and held in his hands a large menacing sickle.

Undeterred by the scene, his blue eyes stared at the creature with the same intensity, austerity, and command of many centuries past. While five years ago it had been something hidden by a shadow, it was now undeniable for the creature the true identity of the one standing there.

"It's been a long time... Death."

"Lord Mathias..." The servant pronounced and reverently knelt before the silver-haired man. "It's good to see you finally awake."

"How long have you noticed my awakening?" Soma asked.

"I and your other servants in the castle perceived it a few weeks ago, my lord... But we did not approach; for we believed it was not the right moment, because your mind had not yet fully remembered us..."

"I see..." The man nodded slowly. "But I know you... You're not here just to greet me... Why did you come?"

"I came to warn you..." Death answered him and Soma frowned. "You and your friends are in danger."

"Why are you sure of that?"

"On the night that you were defeated and the castle sealed inside the Eclipse, your control over the souls of your servants weakened, and one of those who was imprisoned by your power escaped, and like you, also reincarnated among men. He was an enemy of yours in the past and has recently been able to recover his memories... he found and stole for himself the Ebony Stone while the Crimson Stone we managed to hide and keep it safe. And now... He wants to find you out of revenge..."

Soma remained silent for a moment, his expression grave and thoughtful.

"Castlevania?" He asked.

"It's still sealed inside the Eclipse. It can only resurface on earth if the witch who sealed it use the blood of a Belmont and perform the cancellation ritual. The others remain inside the castle; I am the only one who can temporarily cross the dimensional barrier."

He stared at the creature with eyes filled with a shadow.

"Who is he...?" Soma finally asked.

Death bowed one last time before his master.

"Lord Mathias... Look within yourself... You already know..."

The creature suddenly disappeared and the mist slowly began to dissipate.

A few minutes later Soma had returned to Mina's side and the woman stared at him questioning, but smiling gently, the silver-haired man made her drop her worries, but without revealing anything to her.

The group reached the sacred cavern as the sun became more present and strong again. The day became beautiful, though the shadows of that dense fog were still present in Soma's heart, who was secretly thinking about his servant's words.

...

That night after saying goodbye to Yoko and Mina, Soma entered his own room but did not lie down straight away. His mind relived the encounter he had with Death earlier that day and as he allowed his mind to wander, the silver-haired man felt himself being drawn into another distant memory...

 _"Anything else, my lord?" The creature questioned respectfully. The black robe falling flat on his shoulders to the floor, the blade of his inseparable sickle glowing brightly._

 _"No, Death, that's all. You may go." The vampire gestured, dismissing his most trusted servant as he stood, observing the papers in his hands._

 _"I'll make sure everything's ready by the end of next evening as you wish, Lord Mathias."_

 _"Bring me the reports as soon as I wake." The man ordered and Death nodded in agreement, and after bowing one last time, the creature disappeared to another part of the castle._

 _Mathias sighed and ran his hands through his dark hair thoughtfully. It was when his extremely sensitive ear heard a weak and soft cry echoing through the corridors of his castle. Frowning, the vampire left the papers above the throne and immediately teleported to the room located beside his and his wife's chamber._

 _The room featured rich furniture that consisted of a large double bed in the center, several shelves, a desk and a fireplace that lit up and warmed the place. Next to this was a golden cradle from which came the soft infantile cry, and the vampire slowly approached until he were standing next to it._

 _Mathias stared at the baby of few weeks who moved uneasily in the crib with his little face slightly flushed with tears. The man, feeling uncomfortable, searched the room for his wife's figure but he didn't find her, and uncertain of what to do at first, he continued to stare at the boy for a moment._

 _He didn't know what made him reach out and touch the baby's little face. The soft skin contrasted with the cold touch of the vampire who marveled allowed himself to enjoy that moment. It was the first time he had had such a direct contact with the boy, for since his birth he had avoided approaching the child, fearing to injure him in his fragility. But looking at him now, he made a sudden decision._

 _Mathias bent down and carefully took the child in his arms._

 _With his superhuman strength the baby weighed less than a feather. The vampire after comfortably placing the boy in his arms remained motionless so as not to scare or hurt him. He looked at his son with admiration, seeing his small face more closely how much the child remind in some small things him and his wife. The soft cry subsided, and when the quietness returned completely into the room, the boy also looked back at him with innocent curiosity, and the man noticed himself falling for the small pair of eyes as golden as his own._

 _"Oh my… For who had said he had no way with children, you surely managed to calm him down." A angelic amused voice sounded behind him accompanied by a soft laugh. "My love... You will be a great father, Mathias."_

Soma turned abruptly towards the door, but saw no one. It was closed and he was again immersed in the solitude of his own room in the Belmont mansion. Breathing heavily, his heart racing, the silver-haired man still listened to that beautiful, harmonious and familiar woman's voice echoing deep in his soul.


	9. Chapter 09: Trevor

_Greetings! Here I bring you chapter 09! It was named Trevor, but is contents have nothing based on the Castlevania Netflix Series. I've watched it on the day after the release and this chapter I've originally written two weeks prior, and it follows my story were Adrian was still a child during the time of his mother's death._

 _Talking about the series, I've liked it to a certain point; the scenery and the anime drawings I thought beautiful and as a Castlevania fan I truly enjoyed to see the Symphony of the Night's castle displayed on TV, as well their choice to keep Dracula with an younger appearance than the one portrayed on the game, with dark hair and a face closer to 'Mathias' image, since it's how I imagine him in this story. The fight between Alucard and Trevor was priceless to see, and I also liked how they portrayed the beginning of the relationship of Dracula and Lisa, although I found a little strange him presenting himself as Vlad Dracula Tepes III after I've played several times Lament of Innocence, but since this game was created years later after Symphony of the Night and Dracula's Curse where the game's developer really presented him as 'Vlad', I forced myself to ignored it to enjoy de show._

 _ **However,** I've missed the romance between Dracula and Lisa on the beginning, they barely talked before cutting it abruptly off to show her dying on the village, and I though the dialogue between them, as well on the entirely series could've been improved a lot! (I didn't watch in English, but the dubbing in my country's language made me wince sometimes while watching it.)Alucard and his father had minimal interaction to reinforce his decision to fight against him since he was an adult at that time and Trevor could seriously use some soap on his mouth, but I think it was majorly good and the priest dying was also funny to see, I had to laugh at that scene._

 _Anyway, stop babbling, let's go to the chapter. Hope you enjoy!_

...

Chapter 09: Trevor

 _Seated on the throne of his castle, the vampire enjoyed a sip from the goblet of blood; eyes closed, the faint golden illumination of the candlesticks scattered across the room touching his black hair and aristocratic pale face, he seemed to appreciate the absolute quietness that prevailed in the place._

 _With one of his hands resting on the armband of the seat, he could feel the subtle vibrations that the ancient building emanated as the explosions on the lower floors echoed through the structure. Even before Death entered the Throne Room to report to him about the invaders, he had already sensed their presence when they had crossed the magical barriers of his territory and entered Castlevania._

 _Inexplicably feeling bored and unwilling to deal that day with the new plague that had the_ brilliant _idea to defying him, the vampire had long ago decided that he would let Death and the others solve that annoying disorder._

 _The creature appeared in the room half an hour later and knelt before his master._

 _"Lord Mathias..." Death greeted him respectfully, calling him by his former name. He was the only one the vampire still allowed to call him like that, having used the name '_ Dracula _' for the last few years. "A group of four people invaded the castle; are attacking the inhabitants and advancing to the Throne Room in order to kill you..."_

 _"And you seem to hold more importance to these, Death, unlike the others... What's the difference?" Mathias asked._

 _"Their leader is a descendant of the Belmont clan."_

 _The vampire rose from the throne and walked down the small staircase towards his servant._

 _"So... I see he actually kept that foolish oath..." The man spoke nonchalant. "A descendant of Leon..."_

 _As Mathias passed by Death, his thoughts betrayed him for a moment, leading him to remember the blond knight who in past days had been his best friend, battling companion and brother of consideration. At that time he made his choices just as Leon had, and even if he now agreed that some things might have happened differently, it was too late, for it was something that long ago had been forgotten. This, in recent years, was weighed in consideration after talking several times with his wife about the subject._

 _These thoughts immediately led him to more recent memories of Lisa's murder at the hands of the villagers and of Adrian's total disappearance, both of which occurred a few years ago. With heavy spirit plunged in mourning and giving little care to the assault against the castle, the vampire walked towards the exit of the Throne Room and told Death with disinterest._

 _"I have nothing to do with the Belmont clan; make him go away with his companions or find death by choice if he decides to stay. Take this last act for consideration of the good memories I have of Leon. I will not have the same mercy if he returns to invade the castle."_

 _"I fear you cannot do this, my lord…." Death replied, bowing his head. "Your son is with them..."_

 _Mathias stopped._

 _Slowly, the man turned to stare at the creature with golden eyes filled with great surprise._

 _"What...?"_

 _"Prince Adrian is with them..." Death repeated. "It is he who is guiding the group to the Throne Room."_

 _Unable to fully believe what he was hearing, the vampire teleported to another spot in the castle and hidden in the shadows he watched the advance of the invaders, realizing the cold and undeniably truth._

 _As the group reached the upper floor, the lord of the Eternal Night was sitting on his throne waiting for them. With a stern expression and icy glare, as he received them, his attention fell completely on the Belmont heir and not once he took a glance towards the dhampir or the other two companions._ _After replying coldly the words of the man who had identified himself as Trevor, the vampire darted over them, teleporting to the center of the room, and the violent battle began._

 _Mathias used his powers to face and overcome each of his opponents, and one by one they began to fall: first was the boy who fought using daggers, the woman next, and then the Belmon heir, caught by surprise in a counter attack. While the three of them laid unconscious on the ground, the lord of darkness finally looked at the last man still standing, his eyes gleaming with accusation._

 _"Why... Adrian?"_

 _The other observed him for a long time with golden eyes that expressed great emotion, however, he didn't say anything, and approaching the blond-haired man, the vampire went on harshly._

 _"You fled from your own home without telling anyone... I've spent_ years _looking for you in every province, every city in Europe, for what? To find out that you were hiding with the Belmonts all along? And now you come back with sword in hand seeking to reap my life? Why did you turn your back on me, Adrian?! Answer me!"_

 _His voice echoed through the room, strong and commanding, and after a moment the dhampir finally replied with unmoved conviction._

 _"I came back to stop you... You... Look around... Look at what you're doing! Your hatred has transformed you and I do not recognize you anymore! You are attacking villages and innocent people, condemning humanity to darkness! You're acting in a way mother would never approve!"_

 _"For a long time I lived in the shadows of humans without interfering in their pathetic and miserable lives, and for what?! For at the first opportunity they had, they come and murdered my wife because of their foolish beliefs and religions? What right did they have to interfere in our lives?! They brought this condemnation upon themselves, and all of them are the same! I will not stop until the last one of them falls!"_

 _"Mother was also one of them." The dhampir argued, staring at the other in disbelief. "She did not judge them or condemned them at any moment! Many are different, so was she. You cannot blame everyone for the errors of a few!"_

 _"Lisa was beside herself in spite of everything interceding in favor of these creatures who dare call_ me _a monster when they barely look at themselves in the mirror! They had no pity or second thoughts before_ crucifying _her on a wooden stake and_ setting her on fire _!"_

 _Mathias shivered visibly, his eyes sparkling with deep fury._

 _"I will_ not _hesitate, nor will I have_ mercy _!"_

 _Adrian approached the vampire._

 _"Father,_ please _, I beg you to listen to me!"_

 _"SILENCE!"_

 _The man gave a strong slap at the dhampir's face who staggered back with his hand on his own cheek. A trickle of blood fell from the corner of his lips, his expression surprised and resentful._

 _"How can you be deceived by their lies, Adrian?!" Mathias shouted at him, possessed. "Preferring to become blind to what they did to Lisa and even more, helping them destroy all the living beings in this castle and your own father?! Or have you already_ forgotten _that?!"_

 _Seeing that his words were drifting away in the wind and his efforts were useless, the dhampir was taken by a deep sadness and looking at the vampire with serious and determined eyes, he slowly told him._

 _"The cursed blood that runs in my veins is the same as yours... it's something I'll never forget... And Adrian... is part of a past that died with my mother... My name is Alucard, and in respect of her last wish, I will oppose you in everything you do! I will stop you from committing this madness!"_

 _Mathias, wrapped in shadows emanating from his body that scattered around the Throne Room, looked at his son with deep hatred and contempt._

 _"Your traitor, unworthy... if you wish so much to ally yourself with these miserable worms, so be it..._ Alucard _..." The man spat the name with irony. "You will_ die _with them!"_

 _The vampire attacked using fire and shadow magic against the dhampir who fought bravely, using the maximum of his strength against the immense power that the other possessed; but Alucard wasn't able to hold completely his father's attacks and after a series of blows that were blocked by Mathias, the vampire stole his sword from him and counterattacked in a way that the blond-haired man could not defend himself. The dhampir fell immediately to the ground, unconscious._

 _Mathias instinctively pointed the silver blade on the other man's chest, over his heart, and breathing heavily, feeling the hatred make the blood boil in his veins, the vampire stopped himself at the last moment from burying the sword into the chest of his fallen opponent._

 _He was a traitor, his mind screamed at him, a traitor who, in addition to defying him, also guided his enemies inside his house to destroy him. However, as Mathias looked at his face the vampire could not deliver the final blow, for the whirlwind of facts running around in his head gave way to only a single thought; this man was his_ son _, his_ only _son, and the only_ _thing left of Lisa and the family they had been._

 _With a growl Mathias threw the sword to the ground and torn away from the dhampir, his eyes focused on Trevor Belmont who, having regained consciousness a few seconds ago, struggled to get up quickly._

 _"You..." The vampire roared through his teeth. "I will never forgive you for what you and your family have done, making my son turn against me... You will die, boy; I will make your soul BURN IN HELL!"_

 _Mathias attacked and Trevor managed to avoid the mighty blow that destroyed several columns that supported the room. The hunter, using the whip, invested against his opponent and managed to push him back, then, he shouted:_

 _"Sypha! Now!"_

 _The witch, already awaked and also standing in a fight position, inflicted a powerful spell on the vampire managing for some seconds to paralyze him._

 _It was when he felt an agonizing pain exploding in his chest and surprised, Mathias found that his heart had been pierced by a silver sword coming from his back. Blood gushed from the wound and turning his head partially to the side, his gaze met the golden eyes of his son, filled with sadness and remorse._

 _The hunter raised the Vampire Killer and struck the final blow._

Soma awoke suddenly feeling the air lacking in his lungs; he raised his hand to his own chest where the shadows of the hallucinating pain that had completely pierced his body seemed to echo strongly in his mind. Sweat trickled down his forehead, pale and trembling, the man stood from his bed and after putting on anything he found close, he left the room with hurried footsteps.

His mind was disturbed by the terrible memory that had awakened from the deep of his soul; his heart was filled with hatred, anger and pain, but above all a strong and indescribable sadness that overwhelmed his spirit.

He let himself be led blindly down the corridors of the Belmont mansion until he finally entered the library that was deserted at that late hour of the night.

He approached the window and watched the rain fall steadily, letting the smooth sound envelop his spirit, and that was how he slowly managed to calm himself to the point of organizing his thoughts and get a hold on his emotions. The horrible feeling he felt when he woke passing slowly until it disappeared completely.

His eyes stared gravely at the solitude of the library until his attention fell on an old piano set in the corner of the room. His mind brought him the shadow of a vague and distant memory of himself, in another time, seated, playing the instrument beside a beautiful woman with long golden hair and a beautiful smile on her lips with a small child in her lap while she observed him, her soft laugh echoing along with the music that filled the room.

The next instant it was suddenly gone and his heart tightened for the reminder of the woman who he knew that had once been his wife, and who he could scarcely remember now to be able to tell what had truly happened to her due to his fragmented memory. He knew she had died and that her death had also killed his heart and what remained of his humanity, leaving a deep emptiness and an immense longing that eternity would never be able to fulfill.

And the boy, his son... Adrian...

Soma closed his eyes.

Blinded in his hatred, immersed in the darkness of chaos, over the years, on that night he had faced Trevor Belmont, he had also lost him...

The silver-haired man sat at the piano with his eyes closed, and without really paying attention, his fingers began to slide over the keys playing a soft music that was somewhat familiar and that reminded him of other shadows of fragmented memories of days that were happier. And so the minutes passed until the last note was played and the silence once again settled in the library.

When Soma finally opened his eyes he realized that his son was standing at the library's door, watching him with black eyes filled with a certain emotion. The silver-haired man turned his attention back to the piano, but he didn't play again, staying motionless staring at nothing in particular.

"I didn't know you played piano..." Alucard spoke softly.

"Never tried it before to find out." The other answered in a bitter tone he could not completely contain, without looking at his direction.

The dhampir frowned and entered completely into the place.

"Are you okay, Soma?"

"I cannot sleep." He replied merely and didn't try to continue the conversation.

Alucard, under de effects of the song that seemed to haunt his soul, bringing forward memories he long ago had hidden in the deep of his being, remembered the conversation he had with Yoko some time ago and was also filled with guilty for the rough, dry way he had treated the other man the last time they talked. Watching Soma in silence for some minutes that seemed to pass extremely slow and uncomfortable to the silver-haired man, the dhampir made his decision. He approached the piano and sat down on the bench next to the other, who glanced at him.

"This song..." Alucard started evenly. "My father used to play it for me and my mother in the past."

"Oh..." The silver-haired man whispered, staring at the piano with grave features and distant gaze. After a few seconds of silence, thoughtful, he said. "Sorry... I may not have brought you a good memory, again."

"On the contrary, Soma... it reminded me of days that I was happy, days that I really miss."

It made him look with genuine surprise at the dhampir, and then Alucard suddenly saw the other man's blue eyes take on a sudden shadow.

"Unfortunately it is not possible to bring back the past..." Soma muttered. "Or change things we regret having committed."

Those words come completely unexpected to the black-haired man, who observing his companion with piercing black eyes, asked.

"Was that what you were dreaming about?"

"Perhaps."

The dhampir watched him so intensely that it made him uncomfortable, it if he were trying to see his very soul.

"Soma..."

The silver-haired man forced himself to look at the other's face, who continued slowly.

"No matter how much someone has committed errors at one point in the past… I believe that they can change for the better, as long as this change comes from the heart, sincerely and genuine."

Alucard, speaking truth to himself, couldn't say what had made him say those exact words; the man before him certainly couldn't have committed any serious atrocities as to cause such deep regrets, though the heavy expression and tired eyes on the other's face showed him otherwise, as if he were carrying an extremely heavy burden upon his shoulders. Small details he hadn't noticed in the other before.

It was not his father he was talking to, aware of everything that had been said and done… but at the same time, he was...

The familiarity that Soma showed with each passing day, unknowingly, made the dhampir remember years past, remember the man who once had been very present in his life during his childhood, and that was a feeling that he, without being able to contain it, started to associate with the silver-haired man in a way that the dhampir was barely able to think on how to start to deal with.

At this moment Soma's voice made itself present, breaking his thoughts.

"Even if there is an internal change, Arikado, doesn't change what happened. These are deep marks that have remained in the past like scars that never heal."

The dhampir automatically countered.

"Forgiveness can heal old wounds as long as both sides allow themselves to enjoy this regeneration and are willing to start over."

Soma then gave a bitter laugh.

"To what I have done there is no forgiveness, or nothing that can be done that could compensate or repair my failure."

"And have you tried? Before giving up completely?"

The silver-haired man silenced. Alucard put his hands on the other's shoulders and made him look at himself, saying softly.

"I once tried to give this advice to someone who was very dear to me, and unfortunately he did not listen..." Blue eyes gleamed with restrained emotion. "Soma… do not make the same mistakes as he did… Look at life, at the good things around you, at the good friends that you have at your side. Leave old shadows behind, do not delve into them, for they only serve to corrupt and destroy a good heart."

Soma closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling those words envelop his heart in strong grip, and it was with great willpower that he managed to hold the strength of his emotions. A brief moment of silence passed between them, until at last the silver-haired man whispered.

"I will try."

Alucard, seeing that the other had recovered a little, rose from the bench, still leaving one hand on his shoulder.

"Will you be okay?"

"Yes... you may go and rest." Soma said deliberately avoiding his gaze.

"Do not stay here all night... try to do the same." The dhampir watched him nod his head without saying anything else, and instead of insisting he drifted away.

Walking to the library's door, Alucard stopped at the entrance of the room and looked back at the other man one last time, in his eyes, black by the spell that concealed his real appearance, gleamed the shadow of uncertainty. Yoko's words came to his mind and in an instant he thought about that possibility... Minimal and almost nonexistent...

But so quickly the desire to tell Soma all truth came, immediately he firmly reprimanded himself.

He could not risk it.

The dhampir left the library completely while in the intimate he struggled furiously to stop the whirlwind of thoughts that conflicted itselves in his mind.


	10. Chapter 10: Julius

_Greetings! Castlevania would not be Castlevania if there wasn't a little old Belmont fight, don't you think?_

 _Enjoy!_

Chapter 10 – Julius

During that afternoon the cold had given way partly. The gray winter clouds had disappeared for a few hours revealing a bright and clear sky. But the forecast showed that a blizzard was approaching and surely in the evening it would be already above the region, promising a strong cold and lots of snow.

Hammer had arrived early that same day to spend about a week with his friends, as he had said he would do the month before, and he had gone out with Mina and Yoko to the nearby village to buy some things he had not brought with him on the plane. Alucard had also left the mansion at dawn to settle some personal matters. Then, still inside the old building were only Soma and Julius.

The silver-haired man was in the library, sitting in an armchair near the fireplace with a book in his hands, his eyes wandering lazily over the pages.

"You look bored," the hunter commented as he entered the room.

"A little, I confess. I feel like doing something, but I don't know what." Soma replied with a faint smile, looking at the other man.

"Reading is not really working out." Julius laughed softly.

"You're right, I give up." He closed the book, laid it on a small table and stood up, stretching.

"If you don't have any plans for retries in other titles, maybe you can help me out a bit."

"I don't have it." Soma looked at him curiously. "Need some help with what?"

"Come with me."

Both men left the library and walked down the hall, crossing a part of the mansion, until the hunter led them inside the gallery where the beautiful collection of items of the Belmont family was exposed.

Julius looked at him with a certain glint in his eyes.

"Choose a weapon, Soma."

The silver-haired man stared in surprise.

"What?!"

"Choose a weapon." the hunter repeated.

"What are you trying to do, Julius?" Soma asked, frowning.

"Just kill a little boredom."

The Belmont heir walked across the room and, approaching a table, pulled the Vampire Killer out of the stand. The magic whip seemed to vibrate softly for a moment from the contact with his hands.

"You may say that I miss our little friendly duels that we used to do in the old days, remember?"

"Yes, helped me a lot through my training, after what happened at Castlevania..." The silver-haired man said slowly.

"Then choose the weapon that suits you best and let's go out and train a bit. This cold has frozen my old bones and I want to stretch them a little. Wouldn't you do me this favor?"

Soma stood for a brief moment motionless, watching the other man who patiently waited his decision. Then finally he nodded.

"Very well..."

Soma looked around and was drawn by a long bastard sword that was supposed to date from the fifteenth century. He chose the weapon for himself and followed the Belmont heir out of the mansion. As he walked, darting away from the property and into the forest that surrounded the vast clearing, the silver-haired man began to feel a brief uneasy while watching the hunter's back, who some steps ahead was leading them to the desired point.

He didn't know exactly what was happening with himself, but something about it was starting to make him a little nervous, but keeping his face calm, he didn't let his friend see his restlessness.

They stopped at one point where the trees give way to a wide plane area. Julius turned and looked at the other man with a sudden serious expression on his face.

"If I remember correctly, you still have the magical powers you had woken up while you were at Castlevania."

"That's correct..." Soma answered slowly.

"Alright, I do not want you to hold your strength, Soma, because I... will not hold mine!"

Before the silver-haired man could say anything else, the hunter struck with his whip and Soma instinctively ducked back a few steps. Julius was soon close, jumping and giving a kick against his opponent, who blocked the attack and with a twist gave a cut that ripped through the empty air beside the hunter.

Julius struck again with the whip in mid-air and Soma threw himself down, sliding on the ground to stand behind his adversary and quickly getting up, he give a blow with the sword and the Belmont heir blocked the attack using his weapon. He then shoved the silver-haired man and executed a sequence of hits with the Vampire Killer and Soma dodged some while others he used the blade of his sword to block.

He then advanced forward and attacked Julius with his weapon, and in between blows he also punched and kicked, matching them with the rapid sequence of cuts. The hunter avoided the first and jumped high in the air to divert from the last and turning in middle fall, he struck an attack with the whip that the silver-haired man defended with a twist of his sword.

When Julius reached the ground, he immediately threw a scuffing kick at his opponent and Soma leapt immediately into the air to dodge the blow. Falling a few yards further on, the silver-haired man promptly faced his opponent, raising his guard.

"It looks like we're not that rusty." Julius commented, wiping the dust off the top of his coat.

"Really... how long has it been since we last trained together?" Soma inquired with his eyes fixed on his opponent, without letting his defense down.

"I believe it's been about three years since the last time." The Belmont heir simply replied. "Let's see what happens if we go a little further."

Julius suddenly threw an object against the other man. Soma's eyes widened in surprise and he immediately threw himself to the side, rolling through the floor to escape the jar that had broken and spread a transparent liquid for several meters, raising from the ground several bluish and dangerous flames.

"Seriously you are throwing _holy water_ on me?!" Soma yelled incredulously.

"Anything goes!"

The hunter laughed and threw a few more bottles against his opponent and Soma had no choice. He used his powers and invoked with his hands a cloud of shadows that he threw in the direction of the objects, causing the jars to explode in midair and the liquid to be prevented to spread through the barrier formed by the dark magic.

Julius with a strike from the whip parted in two halves the curtain of shadows and threw himself on the other man with a new sequence of blows that Soma blocked, reacting quickly. The Belmont heir with great dexterity used his agility to deflect a counterattack, dodge behind his opponent and suddenly, jumping in the air, his body began to shine with great intensity and immediately knowing the intention of the other man, Soma teleported to a safe distance when Julius combined magic with the power of the cross to summon a huge crucifix that absorbed and destroyed everything close to the hunter with the powerful attack that circled around him in spiral motions.

As the bluish energy began to leave the hunter, he fell to the ground at the end of the execution of his attack. Soma then summoned several small fireballs and threw them in the direction of his opponent and Julius quickly rolled across the ground to avoid the first round and with the whip struck the air violently to destroy the second round.

Soma teleported again, this time behind Julius while the other still defended himself from the fire attack, and with his magic, he was able to disarm the Belmont heir and knock him down with a quick creep. Before the hunter could stand and retrieve the whip, the silver-haired man pointed his sword at his fallen opponent, pressing the tip of the silver blade against the other man's neck.

Breathing heavily, both stared at each other.

Julius laid completely still, watching Soma intently with a grave expression on his face. He seemed to wait, observing with great attention the next move of the other man. In the eyes of the Belmont heir there was something else, a hidden feeling that Soma could not decipher.

Soma, for his part, lost any trace of the animation he had shown during the duel, and his face was filled with seriousness. He had under him the last living heir of the Belmont family, completely at the mercy of his will. After so many years living under the cloak of hatred and contempt for the family of his old friend, that day he had in his hands the opportunity to end that vicious cycle once and for all.

The way Julius looked at him at that moment, intense and meaningful, made him tremble internally. The silver-haired man remembered again Leon, from the times they had lived as brothers, and this reflected on the friendship he now had with sincere affection for Julius, as well his own secret promise to not continue the war against the Belmont clan.

Soma slowly pulled the blade away and let the weapon to fall the ground, completely forgotten. Instead, he held out to the fallen man his hand.

Julius's gaze gleamed with contained emotion.

"You... really changed..." The Belmont heir told him, accepting the other's help to stand.

Soma looked at him in confusion and the hunter, when he finally stood, embraced him with one arm, whispering in his ear.

"... Dracula."

The silver-haired man froze, his old name echoing inside his mind, carrying a large shadow filled with anguish and dark memories. The hunter felt the other immediately tense, but he didn't break the embrace and didn't move away.

Soma, with comprehension falling on him like a bucket of cold water, swallowed dry and replied, his tone a little more than a faint whisper.

"So... You figured out..."

"Yes... I was sure when I saw you next to Leon's painting again... I know you were friends one day... You didn't show mere curiosity or surprise to see him, on the contrary... It was more like as if you had reencountered a dear acquaintance after a long time."

"It's true... It's been almost a thousand years since I've last seen his face..."

Soma closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could feel the soft vibration of the Vampire Killer lying on the ground next to them and knew that if the hunter wished he could retrieve the whip quickly and without much effort, but his will to continue fighting had run out completely and he remained there, motionless and indifferent.

"You assume that with such clear certainty... and I felt now with our duel that your power is increasing gradually every day, although the others have not noticed... But still... it seems that you don't remember everything yet." The Belmont heir pointed, saying quietly.

"After the ritual I am gradually regaining my memories, and also my power... I remember all my past with Leon and the facts that led me to become a vampire at the time, after that, I have only a few fragments of memories that still haven't come to me at all... But it will not take long for this to happen."

Opening his eyes and looking at the length of the trees ahead, Soma asked.

"Now that you know... What will you do, Julius?"

The hunter partially moved away from the other man to look at him better. Without showing any fear, only a certain resignation, the silver-haired man met his gaze.

"I see you now... the same way I saw you five years ago at Castlevania... I don't feel the evil presence of chaos inside you..." Julius stared at him for a long time, also saying. "You've never had such a clear and easy chance to kill a member of the Belmont family before, and yet you didn't do it."

"I really appreciate the friendship I have with you Julius, even if you may not believe it now..." The silver-haired man whispered. "Just as I also praised the brother relationship I had with Leon... But there are brands in the past that cannot be forgiven or forgotten, choices of mine that have hurt Leon, the Belmont family, and many others."

Placing a hand on the other man's shoulder, Julius then said softly.

"Soma... I personally never had a grudge or hatred against Dracula, I just fulfilled the legacy of my family and did what needed to be done, it was not my wish, but an obligation that was imposed on me and I could not refuse... Don't you remember the last time we met like this? In the year of 1999?"

The silver-haired man shook his head.

"The memories of that day haven't come to me yet..."

"When you remember, you will see that these were my words to you, before the ritual that broke your return cycle and sealed the castle in the solar eclipse. You will know that I have fought against evil for the sake of good... and what I find within you now is only good. I will do nothing at first and I will keep the vow of trust I gave you five years ago..." The hunter was silent for a moment and then asked. "Do you remember Alucard?"

Soma's eyes acquired a certain veiled sadness that didn't go unnoticed by the other man.

"Yes... I know who he is..."

"I cannot say why he has not noticed the changes that have taken place in you, or else he would have..."

"He doesn't want to see, Julius." The silver-haired man interrupted softly. "Because the memories he has of the times I have returned has never been good... Deep down I believe he prefers to remain as we are today than create the small possibility of a possible new return of mine that could report those dark times..."

Soma then looked seriously at the Belmont heir.

"Just as I told Mina, I'll tell you too... I don't even know what will happen to me when all my memories come back... Everything may seem fine now, but... and what if it goes wrong? What if I do not have the strength to hold the darkness of chaos and it comes to consume me completely again? I would become the same monster of that time and any effort on my part to try to change things between him and me, telling him the truth, would have been in vain, and would only cause more sadness and pain..."

"If that happens..." Julius replied in a firm voice. "You will not have to worry, just as I promised you once I do it again now. I will do what must be done."

"I would expect nothing less from you..." The silver-haired man nodded.

Both men observed each other, as if sealing a silent agreement. Soma then said softly.

"About my son... I beg you to not tell him anything, Julius... This is not the right time."

The other man shook his head.

"It's not my secret to tell... But Soma... Don't think Alucard doesn't care at all... When you remember 1999, you'll see..."

Soma stared at him questioningly, but the other remained silent. The hunter looked up at the sky and then back at his friend.

"We should go back to the mansion before the others return from the village and notice our deplorable state." Soma blinked, realizing that both he and the Belmont heir were filthy from the duel, and slowly nodded in agreement.

They collected the sword and the whip from the ground and both began to return to the old building. The silence that hung over the two men was pleasant, and for the first time in long years Soma felt a sense of peace over his soul, and watching his friend, at one glance one might say that Julius, by his calm gaze, in a way, also felt the same.

After nearly a thousand years the war between Dracula and the Belmont clan seemed to finally end.


	11. Chapter 11: Lisa

_Greetings! This is my second most favorite chapter that I've written for this story, and certainly is one of the most beautiful, in my opinion. Hope you enjoy!_

Chapter 11 – Lisa

On that cold winter morning, while Soma, Mina, and Yoko were walking in the streets of the nearest village, an incident occurred that caused great commotion in the small town and had almost become a terrible tragedy if the silver-haired man had not decided to intervene in time.

Talking in the middle of the bustling avenue, the trio's attention suddenly turned to a wooden house a few meters ahead that after a sudden explosion was entirely enveloped in fire. A crowd surrounded the place, there were many people shouting. Firefighters fired large jets of water at the structure that was rapidly giving way to the flames, making it completely compromised and very dangerous for all who were nearby.

The cops began to force the crowd back into a safe distance. An officer was holding a woman who was weeping hard as she struggled to approach the house while screaming in despair.

"My daughters! My daughters are still inside! Please, save my daughters! Someone help them!"

Without a second thought Soma dropped the bags in Yoko's and Mina's hands and threw himself against the human barrier, ignoring the gasps of surprise of the two women who watched their friend jump over the blockade, quickly sidestep the police officers and enter the house on fire.

Soma covered his face and began to search for the two children who were still there. He threw himself on the floor to better see where he was going as the smoke was concentrated closer to the ceiling and using his already sharpened senses, result of his powers awakening, the silver-haired man soon managed to hear the rapid beat of two little hearts in one of the rooms of the second floor.

He used his powers to ward off the flames and climbed the stairs, dodged the fall of a beam and entered the room, finding the two little girls, one of four years old and the other of two years old, hidden inside the wardrobe. Quickly he grabbed both of them in his arms and hurried away from the place, jumping from the second floor to the ground floor, landed on his feet and threw himself at the door just as the whole structure finally give away and the house completely collapsed.

"My daughters!" The woman cried at the sight of the two girls, filthy by the smoke and destruction, but well and safe.

Soma handed her the two children at the same time Mina and Yoko arrived by his side. The mother took the man's hands and kissed them several times.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you! May God reward you for your kindness; I will never be able to repay what you have done to me and my family! Thank you!"

Soma just smiled softly at the woman and the children and watched them walk away, being led by nurses to an ambulance. They offered him the same treatment, but he refused, and even with several voices calling and congratulating him for his action, the silver-haired man didn't pay much attention.

His blue eyes stared at the fire that still alive consumed what remained of the house. The sight of the flames that rose high in the sky left something in his heart strangely restless.

That night, as the cold prevailed over the region and the snow fell heavily, Soma remembered _her_.

…

 _It was very cold on that winter and the snow was falling heavily, covering the entire length of the forest that surrounded the ancient castle in white. The lord of the Eternal Night had just awakened and observed the scenery beyond the high walls of Castlevania. The sun had gone out completely over ten minutes._

 _He didn't see his wife and son waiting for him, and strangely restless, he entered the Throne Room where Death awaited him._

 _"Where's Lisa and Adrian?" The vampire inquired immediately._

 _"Mistress and the little prince left the castle to pick medicinal herbs near the human village." Death bowed respectfully to his master._

 _"When did they leave?"_

 _"This morning, Lord Mathias."_

 _"And they still have not returned?" He inquired, frowning at the creature's silence._

 _He couldn't say what had made him move at that moment, leaving the security of the old building to go towards the human village. A great deal of apprehension struck him, and a sense of urgency made him use his powers to quickly cross the forest._

 _Just before reaching the edge of the village, Mathias heard a child's voice scream near where he was, and immediately recognizing his son's voice, the vampire changed course and within seconds came to the scene._

 _What he saw made his blood boil._

 _The seven-year-old boy was laying on the snowy ground, covered in blood, his garments ragged and dirty, and a group of more than seven men surrounded him with swords and spears._

 _"Kill him!" One of the villagers shouted. "Kill the devil's son!"_

 _A man wielding a sword approached the paralyzed boy; his golden eyes staring at his tormentor filled with absolute fear and horror._

 _A sharp cry cut through the forest and the villager who had advanced against the child fell on the floor, his head cut off by the same sword he had carried._

 _"The demon! It's the devil!" The remaining villagers screamed and attempted to attack the vampire, who, without great effort, subdued by fury, defeated them one by one until they were all lying on the ground, lifeless, tingling the snow with blood._

 _Dropping the sword on the ground with disgust, Mathias immediately knelt down and took the child in his arms._

 _"Adrian?!"_

 _He called him and the child looked at his father, barely registering what was happening, completely in shock._

 _"Adrian, where is your mother?!" The vampire inquired, shaking him, feeling a terrible weight falling on his shoulders._

 _"Lord Mathias!"_

 _The man turned and saw Death and some of his other servants standing near him._

 _"Take Adrian back to Castlevania! I'll go search for Lisa." The vampire handed the boy over to his most trusted servant and set off quickly towards the village, sensing that he would find his wife there._

 _When Mathias finally arrived, he saw a large column of fire rising to the heavens from the center of the village and noticing that all the concentration of inhabitants of the town was there, the vampire walked in that direction without caring to hide his presence, for with every step he took, more and more he felt a great darkness descending upon his heart._

 _That was when he finally saw her._

 _"Li... sa..." The man stammered incredulously, his wide-eyed golden eyes could not immediately comprehend the scene he was seeing._

 _His wife was bound, crucified on a wooden cross whose base filled with logs made the whole structure catch fire. Her head was drooped by her chest with her long and beautiful golden hair completely destroyed, the flames embraced her body, enveloping and consuming her entirely._

 _The vampire could no longer hear her heart beating._

 _She was dead._

 _"Look! It's the devil!" A woman screamed, noticing the vampire's presence._

 _"He came here because of the witch!" A man said._

 _"Let's kill him!" One villager shouted."If we managed kill the witch and her spawn, we can kill him too!"_

 _"Kill the monster! Do not let him get away!" Another woman yelled._

 _"Witch..." Mathias muttered, looking at the crowd that began to move towards him. "You_ dare _call her a witch... and_ me _a monster?!"_

 _The vampire's golden eyes acquired a deadly glow, his fangs showing, his voice even colder than the winter._

 _"Miserable and despicable creatures... how_ dare _you shed the blood of AN ANGEL?!" The man bellowed, feeling a voracious hatred begin to consume him from within._

 _"Kill him!" The crowd shouted, advancing on him._

 _Mathias went blind._

 _Darkness and hatred seized his body and with a cry the vampire threw himself at the villagers, and with his hands he crushed one by one in the midst of his thirst for blood. He destroyed all that he touched and killed all who crossed his path, no matter whether they were men or women, young or old, crushing them as insects, as if he were annihilating a plague that had spread throughout a city, overthrowing every single one of them, crumbling the buildings with his powers, plunging the village completely into a sea of fire and flames that quickly spread and consumed everything, reducing the whole town to ashes._

 _And when nothing else remained, neither the village, nor the villagers, nor his relentless thirst for blood, or even his hatred..._

 _Mathias fell on his knees before the cross with tears that slid across his face, cold and bitter. A terrible pain pierced his heart and spirit in half and the man howled; his scream filled with despair echoed gravely into the forest. With great effort the man stood and removed the ropes and spikes that tied his wife's body against the wooden stake._

 _Fallen, sitting on the cold stone, the vampire embraced his wife's body in his lap and touched the woman's face tenderly, her skin still warm but burned and blackened by the flames, revealing a completely unrecognizable face that resembled nothing with the beautiful and sweet woman who hours before had been at his side, kissed his lips and joined him in the high heat of love..._

 _Only then he realized that it had been an unexpected final farewell._

 _God had given him back his wife Elisabetha, in that life as Lisa, just so that this time humanity would take her away from him._

 _Feeling as if he were dying at that very moment, Mathias lifted his face to the heavens and wept._

Soma woke violently, feeling the air lacking in his lungs. Startled, he fell on the cold floor of his room. Extremely shaken and unable to think straight, he leaned on something close by and stood up. Just as he was, wearing only black pants, no shoes and no shirt, the silver-haired man, feeling himself suffocating with each passing second, hurriedly left the room, shooting through the deserted corridors of the Belmont mansion.

He needed to get out of there immediately. He needed air. He needed to end the agonizing pain that was ripping in half in his heart together with the deep sadness that enveloped his soul.

Soma left the interior of the old building, running blindly into the night, caring little about the cold, his lack of clothes or the snow that had grown immensely in the last hours, covering everything in white and continuing to fall steadily and mercilessly.

The man entered the forest, not registering anything that was around him. His extremely disturbed mind was constantly replaying the dark and terrible memories of that afternoon. The day he had lost his wife.

He stumbled on an old branch and fell hard to his knees in the middle of the snow, his hands clasping his head, tears pouring copiously down his face while his chest seemed to explode. Soma screamed loudly, his voice, just like that day, echoed far and wide through the forest, having only the strong cold wind that caressed his face and half-naked body in a desolate embrace.

He fell completely into the ground, the cries of agony and suffering of the villagers reaching his ears, echoing deep in his soul which seemed to be consumed by the same living fire of his memories that had destroyed the village that very day.

"Lisa... No..." He cried in a broken whisper.

Lying with his face buried in the snow, Soma slowly felt himself being taken to the brink of unconsciousness and the darkness embraced him once more.

 _The dark, starry sky expanded over completely above the region, demonstrating the advanced hour of the night. At this moment the seven-year-old boy laid on his bed before the serious look on the vampire's face, who patiently waited, observing him until he were done._

 _"I don't want to sleep now." the boy muttered._

 _"It's too late, Adrian. Your body is not completely like mine, you need to rest."_

 _"But, father...!"_

 _"No more," the man scolded and the boy fell silent, lying flat under the covers. Mathias then sat on the edge of the bed and stroked the child's face, kissed his forehead, saying more gently. "Good night, my son."_

 _"... Night." Adrian whispered, half-asleep, the weariness of the day finally falling on him._

 _It took not more than three minutes before he fell into deep sleep and the vampire shook his head amused; every night was always the same thing. He stood, went to the exit, looked at the boy one last time and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him._

 _Half an hour later, inside the Royal Library, the lord of the Eternal Night stood near the large fireplace, staring at the flickering flames thoughtfully. Suddenly he felt a pair of arms wrap itselves around his waist in a soft, tender embrace._

 _"What are you thinking, my dear?" His wife's melodious voice sang in his ears. "You seem worried."_

 _"Just a foolish thought, mind you." He smiled, turning back to look at her._

 _His wife was lovely that night. She wore a long, white silk gown that wore perfectly the curves of her body, falling flat until it touched her feet, while a darker cloak of fur embraced her shoulders to keep her warm. Her long hair, as golden as the sun, plunged down to her waist in harmonious waves, her pale face displaying all the womanly beauty she possessed._

 _But it was her eyes, blue and bright as the morning sky filled with great wisdom and intelligence, watching him now with adoration, that made him fall in love once again every time he looked at her._

 _He lifted one of his hands and tenderly touched her face in a gentle caress._

 _"Mathias..." The woman called him in that knowing tone._

 _"Alright..." The vampire shook his head. Why did she always do that? "I'm not comfortable with you leaving almost every week to the human village."_

 _"Why?" Lisa inquired softly. "Are you afraid they may do something to me or Adrian?"_

 _"I fear what they may do because of the relationship you have with me." The vampire answered. "They... often tend to jump to hasty conclusions and once they put something in their heads, there's nothing that can pull it off... I know that, I've been one of them once."_

 _"I am still..." The woman laughed._

 _"Just for a little while," The man said gently. "If you accept my offer."_

 _"I've been thinking, my dear..."_

 _"And what is your answer?"_

 _Lisa looked at him longingly with lovingly eyes._

 _"... that I would not mind spending an eternity in this world... if I were by your side, Mathias," She told him truthfully. "But not now... I would like to see Adrian grow up first, become an adult man, as strong as his father is. Just then, yes... I'll accept."_

 _The vampire smiled at her, feeling his heart_ _be filled by_ _happiness and a great relief that took over his being, something that did not go unnoticed by Lisa, who laughed lightly and gently stroked her husband's dark hair and face._

 _"You silly..." She smiled and pulled him down, sealing her lips with his in a deep, passionate kiss. And when they finally parted, she took one of his hands with a warm, tender touch, and whispered as a secret shared only between them._ _"I love you, Mathias... I'll always be here..._ _You'll never be alone."_

Soma began to wake, feeling someone desperately shake him and a familiar voice that also was calling him insistently. He felt completely cold, but at the same time there was a tender warm touch on one of his hands. He slowly opened his eyes and noticed his son kneeling beside him in the snow.

"You're finally awake!" The dhampir spoke with clear relief, his black eyes filled with concern. "Soma, get up! We have to get out of here immediately or you may die!"

The silver-haired man felt weak and utterly exhausted, but he understood the other's request and managed to rise with Alucard's help, who propped his weight upon himself, passing Soma's arm around his shoulders and started to half bring, half drag him as fast as he could back to the Belmont Mansion.

As soon as they entered the old building, Alucard led them to the library on the ground floor, and leaving the other man partially conscious on a large armchair, he threw several logs into the fireplace, and with some magic, made them immediately catch fire to warm the room.

The dark-haired man disappeared through the door and returned a few minutes later, bringing with him a long warm blanket and thick socks that he proceeded to dress on the other quickly.

The dhampir knelt in front of the armchair and held the other's hands, frowning gravely when he felt them as cold as ice, and used his powers to try to warm him. The magic made a translucent orange-colored aura that passed from his hands to Soma and spread through the body of the silver-haired man, whose eyes with half-closed eyelids seemed to stare into nothingness.

"What were you thinking, going out this way in this terrible weather, Soma?" Alucard inquired in a low voice, watching the other man's face with concern.

"How... did you find me?" Soma whispered.

"I was awake... I saw you rushing out of the mansion."

"You should not... have followed me..."

Alucard glared at him.

"You wanted to die? For it is what it seemed."

"Sometimes... I think... it's not worth... living anymore..." Soma muttered with some difficulty.

"Are you _mad_?!" The dhampir questioned him harshly, looking at him as if he had indeed gone mad. "Stop talking and think nonsense! Stop acting without pondering your actions!"

"Why... do you care?" Soma's blue eyes focused completely on the other man, filled with an indescribable pain and sorrow he didn't even have the strength or will to hide. "If I live... or if I die...? My existence... should have been finished... a long time ago... I'm dangerous... you know this... I feel my mind and my soul... be shrouded in darkness... as it happened five years ago... I almost succumbed then... Now I... I have no more strength... to hold on..."

Alucard stared at him with dark eyes filled with deep emotion and he swallowed dry. A single tear ran down Soma's expressionless face, and others followed, cold and bitter.

Without any hesitation the dhampir touched his face and in an impulse that he could not contain he brought the other man to him and embraced him tightly, and Soma wept silently on his shoulder.

"I do care..." He whispered in his ear. "I care... More than you imagine... more than I allow myself to show... Soma, I..."

Alucard paused and took a deep breath; he choked at all costs the words that so significant almost escaped his lips at that moment.

"You..." The black-haired man said at last. "You do not have to face this darkness alone... If you do not wish to surrender to it, you will not be alone to fight it... I will always be here, and I will hold your hand to help you stand again if you fall..."

Soma said nothing, but the dhampir was sure that the other man had heard his reply.

A long time later, when Soma, already warm and with his skin color back to normal, was sleeping a dreamless sleep reclining against the armchair, Alucard remained seated in a nearby chair, staring at the silver-haired man with black eyes that revealed all the restlessness of his spirit.

He himself was no longer able to hold the strength of his own feelings. Not when he looked at Soma every day and seeing him made the dhampir increasingly remember his own father. Not the vampire who tormented him every time he returned with hatred and desire for revenge against humanity, but the good man who had lived for seven years with him and his mother in the past.

Unconsciously Soma was walking like him, talking like him, the weight of his gaze held the same weight as his, and swallowing, trembling, the dhampir no longer could separate the image of one another, that seemed to merge perfectly into an only being in a way that was leaving him deeply shaken.

The words that had choked in his throat earlier echoed now like a grave sentence in his mind.

 _Soma, I care... Because I am your son..._

Alucard closed his eyes and in the solitude of the library, he put his face in his hands and cried.


	12. Chapter 12: 1999

_Greetings! In this chapter I wanted to explore a little what has happened in the mysterious battle of 1999, I've written it all seen through Dracula's eyes. Let's see how it worked out and what you think of it. Hope you enjoy!_

Chapter 12 – 1999 – The Demon Castle Wars

 _"After the battle of 1798, when the lord of darkness fell by the hands of Alucard, Richter Belmont discovered the prophecy of Nostradamus: After 200 exact years from that date, in the year of 1999, Dracula could be definitively defeated and have his resurrection cycle broken by the hands of a Belmont, but no heir of that family could touch the sacred whip, the Vampire Killer, before that moment, to allow the power to be accumulated, passed from generation to generation, so that the chosen one could then put an end to the Reign of Darkness once and for all."_

...

Near the end of that week, after much insistence, Hammer had finally managed to convince Yoko to go out with him in a friendly meeting in the village and taking advantage that Alucard would go to the same direction to take care of personal affairs, they took ride in the dhampir's car, who also offered to bring them back later as they would spend the same amount of hours out.

During the afternoon, while talking with Mina, Soma was descending the main staircase when he was suddenly struck by a severe pain and lifting his hands to his head, the silver-haired man stepped on his feet and fell, rolling down the stairs until he stopped stretched out on the floor of the entrance of the old mansion.

With the great cry that Mina gave echoing through the corridors, in less than a minute Julius appeared there on alert and found the woman kneeling beside her unconscious friend, lying near the staircase, shaking him violently.

"What's happening to him, Julius?!" The priestess inquired desperately and the hunter knelt beside her and touched the other man's feverish face, frowning.

"Is happening..."

Mina looked at him with watery, confused eyes.

"His body has finally succumbed to the effects of the energy of chaos that has been absorbed during the ritual and is now completely transforming." Julius explained to her and quickly took Soma on his arms and started to climb up the staircase while Mina followed him close.

"What...?" She inquired in a frightened voice, understanding coming up to her. "You mean he's... really going to turn into a vampire?!"

The hunter nodded briefly and ran in the upper hallway, entering the room that belonged to the silver-haired man and laid him on the bed, then stood observing him with a stern expression, and Mina stopped beside him.

"What are we going to do, Julius?"

"We cannot do anything Mina, everything that will happen from now on will depend only on Soma... It is not only his body that is transforming, but his mind as well, because all his memories are also returning completely."

The heir of the Belmont clan looked at the young woman, and tried to tell her as gently as possible.

"On one hand, its good Alucard, Hammer and Yoko are not here in the mansion now, or else they would have immediately discovered what is happening... But Mina, the man... no... the vampire who will wake up after this transformation may still be the friend we know... or not... It will depend on whether Soma will have the strength to overcome the great darkness of his own past..."

Mina collapsed on a chair, looking extremely worried at her friend who continued to tremble severely and seemed to rave on the bed. Silent Julius left the room and returned a few minutes later carrying in his hands the Vampire Killer that he deposited on a small dresser and sat in a chair next to the woman, who looked at the sacred whip with great fear, but said nothing.

"Anyway... everything will be decided today." The heir of the Belmont family spoke, his eyes never left the silver-haired man.

A tense and heavy silence reigned in the room as the hunter and the priestess waited.

...

 _For a long time he felt himself falling into the infinite darkness. The terrible pain that had struck his body seemed to burn his own soul and with anguish and agony he screamed without stopping, but his voice seemed to not leave his throat and his suffering was something veiled and silent._

 _After what seemed to be an eternity he finally felt himself lying on a solid and cool surface. Trembling, his suffering then gradually started to diminish until it was completely extinguished. The darkness around him was like a living entity; approaching him slowly, touching him with tangible hands and then forcing itself on the man, whose body began to unite completely with the mass of blackened energy._

 _And it was in this way that he felt his strength and his powers returning fully and with them all his memories that had previously been fragmented, now striking him with the full weight of its completeness._

 _He saw in his mind the early years he had lived with Leon, his fall into darkness with the death of Elisabetha and the beginning of the long war against the Belmont clan and against God._

 _He saw when the light come back into his life when four hundred years later he had found his deceased wife reincarnated as Lisa and the happiest years of his existence that he had spent at her side and with his son as a child, only to, seven years later after his birth, see her executed by witchcraft. It was the end of his revenge against God, only to give rise to his hatred over all mankind._

 _He watched Adrian flee from Castlevania and disappear from his life altogether a few days later, and then he felt the complete darkness falling upon him again and with each new day, more and more his mind succumbed to the power and madness of chaos._

 _He watched as he began to spread his hatred and revenge for his wife's death all over Europe, and when among men came the then-current heir of the Belmont family, Trevor, to fulfill his ancestor's oath to defend the humanity. Not only that, but also brought with him Adrian, who had grown up into a man and according to his friend's ideas, had returned to Castlevania to destroy him._

 _He saw when after Trevor, with each passing century and after each new resurrection, another heir of the Belmont family rose up against his plans; First Christopher, then Simon, Juste and finally Richter and Marie, who also allied with Adrian, came to stop him._

 _He saw when Nostradamus's prophecy had been created, when Richter, for the sake of the complete destruction of Dracula, passed the Vampire Killer into the hands of the Morris family, and the Belmont clan was silenced for two hundred years._

 _He saw the brave warriors who took upon themselves the burden of facing and preventing him from executing his hatred against humanity during those two centuries; Shanoa, Nathan, Cornell, Reinhardt, Carrie, John, Eric, Jonathan and Charlotte._

 _And then, when he finally remembered everything, his mind brought him the exact memory of what had happened in 1999, when, after two hundred years, the chosen one, Julius Belmont, had taken up the Vampire Killer to fulfill the prophecy._

…

 _Dracula was standing by the window and coldly watching all the chaos that was taking place in the lower areas of his castle. The infantry mounted by the church invested with all the forces it possessed against the creatures that inhabited the demonic castle, and many of its soldiers were surprised by the devastating force of the enemies or by the terrible traps Castlevania possessed._

 _Several explosions echoed loudly, raising high fire and flames in many parts of the old building, consuming what it touched, and the castle shook partly with the force of the explosions and attacks that were aimed to destroy its defenses and to force the entrance of the troops._

 _The vampire took a sip of blood from the goblet, and impassive, he observed everything that happened without showing any reaction._

 _After a long time the front door to the Throne Room opened, and the lord of darkness didn't have to turn to look at the newcomers, for he recognized them only from the smell of the blood running hot in their veins._

 _The fragrance was undeniable._

 _"Did you come here to try to fulfill that foolish prophecy, Belmont?" He asked harshly. "Do not expect me to lie down and just let her do the ritual."_

 _"My name is Julius... I have prepared myself my entire life for this moment, Dracula. I know it will not be easy, but I will destroy you now, once and for all!" The hunter's steady voice echoed throughout the hall as a sentence of death._

 _With great disdain and contempt, slowly, the vampire turned to watch the newcomers. The current Belmont heir was a tall man, with long brown hair and greenish eyes, in his prime of his twenties. Had an arrogant stance and a defiant air, eyes that reported the characteristic force of the true lineage belonging to his family._

 _Beside him stood a young woman with long blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a long coat with a frock fur and carried in her hands a book of spells that she would undoubtedly try to chant during the battle, for he felt a magical aura surrounding the witch, who he could easily say was a descendant of the Belnades family._

 _Dracula then turned his attention to the last member of the small group, his golden eyes filled with a voracious hatred._

 _Adrian... No..._ Alucard _was there again, always committing to the goals of humanity. This time, however, instead of his black armor he wore a modern dark suit characteristic of that advanced century and with a magical charm that completely hid his real appearance, now showing a man with aristocratic features, straight black hair that fell to the shoulder line and eyes that were equally black, staring at him indifferently._

 _"Still helping these pathetic mortals, Alucard?"_ _The vampire inquired sarcastically._

 _"I've came to do what needs to be done... It's time to finish all of this... Father."_

 _Dracula tossed away the goblet that broke on the floor into a thousand pieces, and walked towards his opponents, still looking directly at the dhampir. He sneered._

 _"Yes... But_ this _time, I won't show mercy."_

 _The vampire teleported, appearing closer to his enemies and with great fury attacked them, using his powers to invoke great balls of fire that he throwed against the three invaders, who quickly managed to avoid the sudden attack. The witch, who had gone as far as she could from the enemy, opened the book in her hands and began to quietly chant a series of words in ancient language to conjure a spell._

 _Julius and Alucard attacked together, charging against their opponent, driving him away from the witch to cover her while they used all of their knowledge in combat to keep the vampire busy, who was defending or evading the blows to immediately counteract them with powers of fire and shadow._

 _The hunter raised his hands and threw jars of holy water at the vampire, who teleported to a safer point, dodging them. The curious thing was when the jars touched the floor and broke; some were spreading the transparent liquid that suddenly flamed, raising large bluish and dangerous flames, but some others broke apart to only spread a red blood-like liquid on the surface of the ground that seemed to draw something disconnected in many parts of the room._

 _Alucard avoided one of his father's blows by briefly turning into mist, and resurfacing next to him, struck a sequence of cuts with his sword which he ended by invoking the spiritual force and cast it against the vampire in the form of three white translucent spheres, that danced in the air and invested against the opponent, who retreated a few steps and destroyed the spirits with a precise counterattack of fire._

 _At this moment Dracula sensed the danger coming from somewhere close to where he was, and turning quickly, he saw Julius being enveloped by a strong light; Vampire Killer took on an intense golden glow and the Belmont heir, accumulating of all his strength, struck a powerful blow with the sacred whip, fast and inevitable. The vampire could not dodge or defend the attack that hit him fully in his chest and threw him back, falling completely to the ground, paralyzed and stunned, right in the center of the room._

 _"Yoko!" The hunter's voice sounded loud and filled urgency._

 _The witch exclaimed authoritatively the last phrase of the spell and the crimson liquid scattered at strategic points in the room began to shine strongly; they suddenly created several lines that joined itselves, forming a magical barrier that trapped the dark lord inside it._

 _"It's over, Dracula..." The Belmont heir told him with an unwavering gaze. "I do not hold any personal grudges like my ancestors on this... But I did what was expected of me and now, all the evil that has been spread over mankind by your hands during all these centuries... will disappear!"_

 _At this moment the circle was filled with a very strong light that almost blinded them, and the screams of the vampire echoed through the Throne Room filled with agony as the magic enveloped his body and soul, causing it to burn severely._

 _Alucard, standing just a few paces from the circle, abruptly turned his face away, unable to look anymore as the horrible cries reached his ears and shook his spirit deeply. At the same time his reason was firm in his purpose to completely annihilate the great evil that the vampire was causing to humanity; his heart reminded him that the one who was there at that moment in suffering is his father._

 _The harsh words that Dracula had told him once, when he had returned to Castlevania with Trevor, Sylpha and Grant, come back to his mind as cold and filled with sorrow and rancor as they had been uttered that same night._

 _Traitor, unworthy..._

 _And he was right... The black-haired man thought, opening his eyes to look at the vampire again. He may have become a traitor, and for centuries, done all he could to be a barrier between Dracula's intense hatred and humanity, but..._

 _The dhampir suddenly took several steps forward towards the magic circle._

 _There would be no more resurrections; it was the_ last time _he would_ see _him._

 _"Alucard! No! It's dangerous!" Julius's voice called him, mixed in warning and concern._

 _The black-haired man fell to his knees before the circle, his black eyes filled with emotion stared at Dracula, lying down while his body was completely consumed by the magical flames, unable to even scream his agony. The dhampir reached out his hand and ignored the sudden pain that struck him as he crossed the barrier of the magic and touched his father's hand, holding it in his._

 _He_ never _ceased to care..._

 _The vampire's golden eyes parted and stared at his son's face in surprise, then slowly, at that last moment, it became something that resembled tenderness and acceptance as a single tear fell across his face._

 _A strong light completely enveloped the Throne Room; Alucard was hurled away with the propulsion of the magic, just as Julius, who crashed into a column and hit his head hard. Yoko hid behind a stone wall and was able to protect herself from the explosion._

 _The vampire's body was completely disintegrated._

…

 _"After Dracula's defeat and Castlevania being sealed within the solar eclipse, to the surprise and astonishment of those who knew the dark side of human history, a new prophecy was made: In the year 2035, in the new total solar eclipse that will appear over Japan, the reincarnation of the lord of darkness will rise and return to his castle to regain his power and reclaim the throne of The Eternal Night that belonged to him by right."_

...

Mina observed her friend with growing concern in her heart. As the time passed, she saw him stop breathing completely, his skin growing paler, white as the falling snow on the outside of the mansion.

He seemed to be dead, she thought, and her body shook involuntarily.

Julius stared at the silver-haired man intensely. In all that time the hunter barely moved from his chair and never turned his attention away from the bed. He sometimes seemed to be immersed in thoughts that obscured his face and brought a certain cloud of sadness in his greenish eyes.

The priestess thought to say something in a brief moment, but then, when she looked back at the silver-haired man, the woman was surprised to see a lonely tear falling across his unmoving face.

Suddenly the heir of the Belmont family stood and immediately grabbed the Vampire Killer. The woman looked quickly back to the bed and saw her friend slowly start to wake. His eyelids opened revealing eyes that were completely golden, glimmering with a superhuman glow.

Eyes that certainly belonged to a vampire.

Soma set his attention first on her and Mina shuddered involuntarily. The weight of the silver-haired man's gaze, aware of the young woman's uneasiness, grew softer, and then he stared at the hunter next to her and at the Vampire Killer he held tightly in his hands.

"You can lower your whip, Julius..." The vampire spoke with his voice on the edge of a whisper. "You will not need it..."

"Soma..." The heir of the Belmont family said with clear relief in his face. The hunter lowered his weapon and approached while Mina sat at the edge of the bed to hold the vampire's cold hands in hers.

"Soma..." She spoke trembling and at the same time happy, and the silver-haired man gently stroked her cheek.

"It's alright Mina... See... You don't have to worry... I will not become the same shadow of my past." And looking at the hunter, he spoke to him. "I remembered, Julius... Everything... And also what happened that night on 1999."

The hunter slowly nodded his head in understanding, and watching his friend seriously, he frowned thoughtfully.

"We need to start the spell before the others return..."

Mina looked at him.

"I tried to look into Yoko's things, but I didn't find the spell she used to hide the true appearance of Mr. Arikado!"

"The book is not with her, it is with me, Mina." The priestess stared at him with great surprise and Julius explained. "The spell is on a book that has belonged to my family since ancient times and has been passed down to each generation of the Belmont family... Alucard performed the procedure here in this mansion about forty-two years ago."

The heir of the Belmont family took a key from the pocket of his coat and handed it to the woman.

"I've already set it apart on my desk in the first drawer. Just get it."

"Yoko will know if I cast the spell on Soma?" She asked.

"No, this magic adheres to the body of the target, it becomes like a second garment. Even Yoko, having performed the spell on Alucard, she cannot feel the magic present on him. It can only be undone by the will of the bearer himself."

The priestess nodded her head in thanks and hurriedly left the room.

Soma sat on the edge of the bed, his thoughts taking him for a brief moment to the battle of 1999, and raising his right hand before him, the vampire stared at it with eyes filled with deep emotion as he remembered his son's gesture. Julius, a few paces away, watching him silently, immediately understood what was going on in the other man's mind.

"You... were right..." The vampire whispered. "He..."

"I didn't understand his gesture that night, knowing Dracula only as a monster, author of severe atrocities, that my family had to fight for centuries without ceasing." Julius told him truthfully. "I understand now, after meeting his human side... you."

The silver-haired man stared at his friend with genuine surprise on his face.

"Seeing you both together now, knowing what I know... You're a friend I'd fight to help. For him, you are a father worth fighting to save."

Wordless, thrilled, Soma couldn't speak to reply the other man's words.

At that moment the woman returned. The spell itself was not as complicated to accomplish as Mina believed it would be, and after chanting the Latin words a magical cloud of greenish color enveloped the vampire and dissipated after a while, revealing the normal previous appearance of the silver-haired man as if nothing had happened that late afternoon.

Within minutes the whole procedure had been successfully completed.

Half an hour later, as Julius had predicted, Hammer, Yoko and Alucard returned to the mansion after the sun had set on the horizon. The three of them greeted their friends as they usually did, not noticing anything different, which brought great relief to the vampire, the priestess, and the hunter, whom secretly tense had waited for their reaction.

Hammer and Yoko were in a good mood, and the blond-haired woman had a beaming smile. It had been a wonderful day and she was totally willing to propose something different that night for herself and her friends. She suggested a dough-based dinner in which she would serve as a dessert a cake made by herself, a proposal that was widely accepted by all, although Soma in the deep was thinking about how on earth he would avoid drawing attention to himself now that, with the transformation, he was certain that he no longer would be able to eat ordinary food, and he didn't doubt that in a few hours, like in the past, he would soon start to feel the relentless thirst for blood.

The silver-haired man shuddered involuntarily and ran his hands over his face, worried. _That_ was another problem he _needed_ to find the solution for, and _very fast_.

As he watched Yoko, Mina, Julius and Hammer talking, he felt a hand touch his shoulder and the vampire looked at his son who was standing beside him.

"Are you okay?" The dark-haired man asked.

"Yes." Soma gave a small smile. "Did you get everything you wanted in the village today?"

"I did." Alucard nodded. "I also brought you something, too."

The dhampir handed him a small dark package, and with curiosity Soma opened it and removed from inside a chain that had a beautiful silver pendant of the Route 66 on the end.

"You... remembered…" he whispered astonished, tracing the small object with his fingers.

"I said I'd think about your case." The dark haired man replied softly.

Soma stared at him in genuine surprise and saw a small smile appear on the other's lips.

"Thank you..." The vampire nodded slowly, putting the chain around his own neck.

Alucard and Soma stared at each other in silence and the silver-haired man felt a lump in his throat. The dhampir didn't move away, nor did he withdraw the warm hand still on his shoulder; there was something in the other man's black eyes the vampire tried to read, but a sudden exclamation from Yoko made the moment get lost.

"Oh, I can't believe it!"

The witch realized that one of the ingredients of the cake was missing, and seeing an opportunity to leave the mansion alone to be able to think straight and put his head in place; Soma was the first to volunteer to go to the village to get it.

"I'm sorry, Soma! If I had known we were missing the eggs I would have bought them myself before we returned to the mansion!" The witch told him with a guilt sympathetic look.

"I don't mind it, be at easy, Yoko." The man smiled at her.

"Are you sure, Soma? Wouldn't you prefer I go in your place instead?" Julius approached and observed him with a meaningful look that contained a veiled question.

"Yes, I will go." The other nodded in affirmation and the hunter handed him the keys of his car.

"Don't get lost in the woods." He teased.

"If I crash into some tree, don't worry, at least the eggs I will bring in one piece."

Soma waved goodbye, laughing, and walked out of the front door while the hunter shook his head, amused, smiling softly, despite everything that happened in the afternoon, feeling at easy in his heart.

…

Traveling by car under the already starry sky was very easy for the vampire, his eyes could now see perfectly in the darkness and all the details of the scenery the forest portrayed, from the road he drove, trees and even some animals who ran frightened by the noise of the vehicle, he could now see them perfectly. Always taking care of the path, he allowed his mind to wander through the memories he had recovered.

His memory was now before him like an open book with nothing more to hide, and for a long time the silver-haired man reflected on everything that had happened, from his days as a knight alongside Leon during the eleventh century, the terrible choices that he had made to become a vampire for the first time, the joy that broke the long years of loneliness when he had lived with Lisa and Adrian, to so drastically fall into the deepest darkness when they were both abruptly taken away from him, and the numerous conflicts with the Belmont family that lasted for hundreds of years.

Lisa's death, for the second time, had completely destroyed him, and the memory of her, even at that moment after so many centuries, was still fragile and painful to him... He couldn't say why Adrian had fled from Castlevania at that time, but he was absolute aware that it was his own actions in the following years that had drawn the dhampir away from his life.

Adrian... He was the last living remembrance he still had of his wife and the only person of his family that remained in his life, but... Even if he could now believe that he was on good terms with his son, strange as it was in the present situation, he couldn't believe that it could change.

 _I pushed him away..._ He heard his own words spoken to Mina once echoing inside his mind. _My son... I lost him completely…_

It was impossible for the dhampir to discover the truth and accept that situation, it was impossible after all that had been said and done made him believe that his father, aware of everything, had really changed, abandoning all darkness in favor of giving himself completely to the light.

 _Julius accepted..._ His traitorous mind told him. _Why couldn't Adrian?_

Because Adrian was his _son_ and his failures to the dhampir were greater and more serious… wounds and sad memories that cut deep and were not easy to deal with. His son had shown this, perhaps without realizing it, the first time he had tried to approach him after so long.

"It's impossible..." The vampire whispered to himself in the silence of the vehicle, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

But still… his memories showed him Adrian's spontaneous approach in the last few days, the genuine concern on the other man's face in the night that he had regained Lisa's memories, as well as forty years ago in the last time they'd met when the dhampir knelt before the circle of invocation and ignoring the strong magic that consumed his arm, he crossed the barrier only to hold his hand.

 _It was impossible…_ he told again to himself. So why did his treacherous heart insist on _trying_ to prove it was not so impossible? And worse… to _feel_ that he _wanted_ that too.

The silver-haired man suddenly was deeply moved by strong emotion; he stepped hard on the brake and the car stopped abruptly. Trembling, he laid his head against the wheel and took a deep breath.

"Stop it..." He scolded himself.

Forcing those thoughts out of his head and purposefully avoiding thinking about it again, Soma realized he was already near the village and returned to drive until he parked next to the supermarket a few minutes later. He went inside, took the eggs and paid. When he left the facility and walked back to the car, he stopped by the side of the vehicle, feeling something strange in the air.

It was a different, subtle smell, which to the ordinary humans it was utterly imperceptible, but to him, now transformed, and with his keen senses and memories that were marked deeply by fire and by the strongly burned smell exhaled by old constructions consumed by the flames, it was something completely unmistakable.

Frowning, the vampire searched the city for the focus of the fire, but the movement at that time was quiet, there were no people running in desperation or panic. Then his attention involuntarily went to the forest and his eyes widened. High in the middle of the dark night, in the distance he could see through the trees a cloud of smoke rising above and mingling with the black cloak of the sky, completely unnoticed, in the exact direction where the Belmont mansion was located.

Taken with great urgency and a sense of uneasy, the silver-haired man threw himself into the car and stomped on the accelerator, he ran down the central avenue of the village and made his way through the forest at high speed. Minutes that seemed like an eternity passed and the vampire finally arrived at his destination and parked the vehicle near the entrance of the old building.

Soma ran out of the car, his blue eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief as they stared at the Belmont mansion, completely on fire.

"No... It cannot be!"

Taken out of desperation he threw himself indoors and running through the corridors, he searched for his friends in every possible room.

"JULIUS! MINA!" The vampire screamed in vain, his voice soon suffocated by the sound of rafters falling in one of the mansion's upper parts. "YOKO! HAMMER! ADRIAN!"

There was no answer, he found them nowhere.

He was there, alone in middle of the ocean of flames and fire that mercilessly consumed everything around him.


	13. Chapter 13: Walter

_Greetings! For those who guessed it was Walter Bernhard, congratulations! You are_ half _right! I had a crazy idea for this chapter and I decided to write it down. I am sure you didn't predicted_ this. _Let's see what you think of it. Also, if you would like to listen_ _Dark Night Toccata - Walter's theme from Lament of Innocence Ost after Soma's first answer, is optional, but nice; it surely has given me a lot of inspiration to write this down. Hope you enjoy!_

Chapter 13 – Walter

The sky was black and filled with voluminous clouds that spread and covered the vast remote region. The air began to cross the landscape, cold and steadily stronger, in premonition of the intense storm that was approaching. The abandoned castle amid the inhospitable, ancient, ruined forest was a perfect setting for that malignant attempt.

The vampire entered the place without any hesitation or fear, he knew exactly what and who he would find there, since his opponent was already waiting impatiently. He was no longer wearing the illusion that had concealed his true appearance; he strode along the deserted corridors with broad, firm steps, his silver hair disheveled, gold eyes glimmering with a superhuman glow, fangs on his mouth, light beard and a face that showed an austere expression.

Dressed completely in black, Soma came forward haughtily and decidedly, feeling great concern mixed in anger in his heart. It had taken him a long time to understand the movement of his mortal enemy on the great board, and he had moved his piece wisely, now forcing him to reveal himself, and even dared to attempt against the lives of those close to him, taking them by force.

An intense rage grew within him, spreading through his body making his blood boil, but he hid that feeling inside himself, displaying a cold and impassive face.

The hallway ended and the vampire left the inner corridors to step on a vast outer courtyard located in one of the highest parts of the castle, and walking to the center of the place, he saw them at the same time he was also seen by them.

"I see you're finally here... Mathias." The other man greeted him with a cynical smile on his face. "And better... Completely awake."

Soma looked at him indifferently, just as he had done at Castlevania five years ago.

For a long time he, like his friends, had believed that _he_ were dead for his body had disappeared in Castlevania with the passage of the Eclipse, but after the battle in the Throne Room, apparently, the other somehow managed to survive and escape the castle.

Graham Jones had hardly aged in appearance. He stood as the same middle-aged tall man with long silvery hair, aristocratic face, wearing an elegant white suit made of fine, noble fabric. What were different were his eyes; instead of the blue sky it had changed to a deep glowing red. His physiognomy had become darker and a strong magical aura surrounded him, carrying great wickedness and hatred.

But Soma knew well...

It was not just Graham seeking the power of darkness for himself as it had been a few years ago. Watching him now he saw far beyond, a matter that had begun many centuries ago and that now returned with great force, for the vampire before him, as himself, had also awakened completely.

"So... don't you recognize me, Mathias?" The other man slowly descended a stone staircase to the same level where the other stood, stopping about twenty feet away. "Don't tell me the centuries have made you forget me."

"No... Walter..." Soma answered coldly.

The cynical smile widened on the other's lips.

"Great... It seems our humble reunion is finally complete. Look!"

Graham showed him the opposite side of the courtyard, where on the upper floor, trapped by a great accumulation of black magic and completely exposed, were Julius, Mina, Yoko, Hammer and Alucard, watching them as they listened to the whole conversation with several mixed emotions in their faces.

Soma looked at them one by one for a moment; saw the great surprise present in the faces of Yoko and Hammer, great concern in the delicate features of Mina, Julius looked at both vampires with a rigid expression, but his eyes sketched fear and apprehension.

But perhaps what affected him most was the dhampir's black eyes, looking directly at him accusingly with great shock and perplexity as slowly understanding began to fill his countenance.

 _At last he realized..._ Soma thought guiltily. _Not the way I wished it had happened..._

"Release my friends and my son, Walter..." The golden-eyed vampire said coldly, now staring hard at his opponent. "I'm already here, it's no longer necessary to keep them prisoners."

"You know how I love games, Mathias. To release them now would only cause them to flee or try to attack me to defend you, there wouldn't be any amusement with accepting your request."

Graham began to walk through the courtyard around the other vampire as he talked naturally; Soma never took his eyes off him.

"On the contrary, I find it interesting that they know who I truly am and why we are all here, after all I have spared them of the details until now."

"Walter..." Julius stammered, drawing the attention of said vampire. "Walter Bernhard? The first vampire that was faced by the Belmont Clan..."

"Interesting to see that I was not completely forgotten in the history of your family, Belmont."

Graham smirked at him.

"We may say that for a long time I ruled the Eternal Night by using the Ebony Stone, one of the two sacred jewels of the vampires that gave me supreme powers... Leon Belmont was a well-orchestrated pastime that unfortunately ended up turning against me by _his_ interference..."

The blood-eyed vampire pointed at Soma who stared at him impassively.

"For many centuries I looked for the second sacred jewel, the Crimson Stone, so that with both stones my power would be invincible, but I didn't succeed. On the very night that I faced Leon Belmont, I learned that Mathias had somehow managed to get the Crimson Stone, and thus he became a vampire, imprisoned me as one of the souls under his control and took upon himself the Throne of Night."

Graham stood still, far from his adversary, his voice growing louder as he spoke, his tone growing darker.

"Many centuries passed and I remained imprisoned in this despicable form... Until in the year of 1999 you..." The vampire glanced at his prisoners. "...defeated Dracula definitely, freeing the souls that were under the influence of his power, preventing him from resurrecting and sealing Castlevania inside the Eclipse."

Looking directly at Soma, the silver-haired man continued.

"I was released from your control that night... As Graham Jones I was born a few minutes after your defeat, and for a long time I truly believed that I was Dracula's reincarnation. I did everything I could to get into Castlevania, which happened that night of 2035. When I realized that _you_ , who had been born a long time later, had the power to Rule, I couldn't accept it because I was sure, deep inside, that I had reigned once over those creatures, over that castle, over the Eternal Night! When we faced each other in the Throne Room and you had the confirmation that you were Dracula's true reincarnation, and just as the souls and the power of chaos began to flow back into your body, something awakened inside me at that moment, and I started to remember..."

Graham's voice filled with contempt.

"Everything came to me over time... I had ruled the darkness in the distant past, not as Dracula, but as Walter Bernhard, until _you_ and your Belmont friend _crossed_ my path!"

"It was your arrogance and malice allied with your ignorance that caused your own defeat not only that night, but also five years ago, Walter." Soma told him austerely.

"Mathias..." The red-eyed vampire said dangerously. "You don't know how long I've waited for this moment... These past years have passed and I had already recovered all my memories, and what wasn't my surprise in discovering that _you_ , instead of throwing yourself in the arms of chaos like you had done a long time ago, _preferred_ to cut off any connection with your past self to live this _pathetic_ life you have now?!"

Graham shook his head with a wild look.

"No... To execute my revenge, I couldn't accept you remaining ignorant of your own past!"

Soma then stared at him, finally understanding what had happened.

"You..."

" _Yes_... I planned your kidnapping... I commanded my servants to expose your body to the energy of chaos in sufficient quantity for your soul to awaken, force your true memories to slowly begin to surface and your body to transform."

There was a grave silence among all, a strong flash of lightning swept across the sky in the clouds, and soon a lightning bolt flew upward, tearing the dark immensity abruptly and violently.

"Walter..." Soma said in a threatening voice and the other vampire smirked at him cynically.

"Let's play a little, Mathias, you and I... I'm sure you remember my _favorite_ game?" Graham mentioned to him with eyes that glowed with malice. "Every time I challenge a warrior to face me, I take someone who is precious to him... Now I have in my power the lives of all those you consider most important...Your friends… And your _son_ …"

Graham pointed them out.

"Look at them."

And Soma did.

"The magic that is upon them at this very moment is called _The Spectrum_. Now it not only imprisons them but also has the same effect as an ancient lethal poison that usually acts fast on the victims. If you don't stop the flow of magic that is now being absorbed by their bodies, in thirty-five minutes the five of them will die."

The golden-eyed vampire stared at his friends and son in astonishment, only at that moment he observed the black mass of energy closely and saw that what the other had said was true. The group under the influence of magic, now fully aware of what was happening with them, visibly paled.

"What do you want...?" Soma asked slowly.

A new lightning struck the heavens with an immense crash.

"I want to amuse myself, Mathias... I would ask you to go to that nearby village around here and destroy every one of its inhabitants as you used to do in the past in exchange for the lives of your friends, but I believe you would decline."

The golden-eyed vampire narrowed his eyes at Graham in an icy glare.

"I will _never again_ lay my hands on mankind; it is an oath I made to myself upon awakening completely." Soma took a few steps forward and said dryly. "I do not have time to waste on your mediocre games, Walter. I'll make you a counter-offer."

Graham looked at him with mild interest.

"I'm listening."

"Death..." Soma called out loud and clear, and the creature suddenly appeared at his side attracting everyone's gaze as Graham stared at it with enormous contempt; its treason still fresh in his memory.

Death knelt before his master and greeted him.

"Lord Mathias..."

The vampire looked at his servant, and without saying anything else he held out his hand, and Death, knowing exactly what the man wanted, handed him a small wooden chest and a silver sword.

"Stay with them, slow as much as you can the poison effects." Soma ordered and after nodding his skeletal head, the creature disappeared, resurfacing alongside the five prisoners to obey his master's command. He placed a continuous spell over the group that slowly began to reduce the pressure caused by Graham's power, causing them a little temporary relief.

In the center of the outer courtyard Soma opened the chest, and removed from inside a beautiful jewel of blood that glowed strongly before the eyes of all; Graham took an involuntary step forward, his full attention was on the object the other vampire held.

"The Crimson Stone..." He muttered mesmerizingly.

"I know you have with you now the Ebony Stone, because I feel its energy here in this place." Soma said, tossing the chest away, hanging the jewel in a chain, fastening it around his own neck. "Both united give to its bearer the absolute right to rule the Eternal Night... You have my family in your hands and I have the power that you long for. Kill me and you will have the Crimson Stone and the throne of darkness, but if _I_ win, I will _destroy_ your soul so that you will _never_ dare to lay a hand again against those under _my_ protection."

"Touching..." Graham mocked, but his eyes never diverted from the sacred jewel in the possession of the other man.

The red-eyed vampire withdrew the Ebony Stone from his white suit and imitating the other's gesture he put it in a chain and hanged it around his own neck, and looking directly at Soma, answered him.

"Very well, I accept your counter-offer... But _my_ rules still prevail..."

Graham summoned with his power a silver sword that glittered in the face of a new lightening that crossed through the black clouds.

"If you stop fighting at any moment, they die... If you run away, they die... If you die, they will die too..." The vampire smirked then, red eyes glowing with malice. "And of course… you only have half an hour to defeat me, or else they will die from poisoning... Have I made myself clear, Mathias?"

"Yes..." The silver-haired man answered coldly. "But they _will_ remain alive and _you_ will die."

At that moment when the two opponents completely focused their attention on each other, the storm had reached that region and the rain began to fall voluminously and forcefully, completely wetting their garments and bodies, but none of them moved or gave it any importance.

The seconds passed slowly and tense to those standing on the upper floor, watching the vampires who were about to begin the battle that would decide to who belonged the throne of the Eternal Night.


	14. Chapter 14: Mathias

_Greetings! I guess some of you won't be able to play Aria of Sorrow again without seeing Graham as Walter's reincarnation because of this. Really, I thought it very fitting, both of them are arrogant, mentaly disturbed and crazy enough for it, in my opinion they are very much alike._

 _About sensing this fanfic coming to an end, it is true, as I commented before in 'Leon', this is a short piece that would have only fifteen chapters, so the next one is the final for this story. What I may say is that you can expect a long chapter, for I have put a great deal of attention to the scene of Alucard and Soma's conversation, since this I think is the most waited moment of this fanfiction (And I truly expect to not desapoint you) between other things to set the final conclusion, and also my ending notes that I would like you to read, but its no obligation._

 _So, I hope you enjoy this chapter! See you again in the next friday!_

Chapter 14 – Mathias

A bolt of lightning cut again the dark sky in half, followed by a fierce flash of light that briefly illuminated the entire surface of the region and the complete extension of the abandoned castle.

When the light dissipated, as one, the vampires moved swiftly, disappearing from where they had stood and resurfacing in the center of the outer courtyard where their swords met with a severe crash.

The pressure they had placed on the first stroke, due to the superhuman strength they had, caused the ground to crawl in several places under their feet, but keeping their balance perfectly, the two men soon began a fast sequence of blows that were dodged or blocked by one another. The speed was such that the rain that fell heavily around them could no longer reach their bodies, forming a kind of air dome with the vacuum left by the movement of their weapons.

Those who followed the duel could barely see the movements the two vampires made to reach their opponent, except for the dhampir who perfectly accompanied both men with eyes filled with concern and dread, barely able to surpass his initial shock. He tried to force against the moorings that held him in a new attempt to escape its influence, but it was useless, the magic was too strong even for him and he only felt its supernatural force drain even more of his energy, leaving him weakened.

"Stop trying, Young Prince..." Death that was next to him spoke with respect in his tone. "Unfortunately there is nothing you can do to break the spell... No matter what has happened between you both, you will have to trust your father this time..."

"Even you knew of his awakening..." The black-haired man said to him, not hiding the resentment in his voice.

"Castlevania and all its inhabitants are attached to their master... There is no way we couldn't have noticed the exact moment that Lord Mathias began to awaken completely, just as he did in the old days when he was resurrected and we also to serve him."

The skeletal creature turned his head to the dhampir as if he were looking at him.

"The decision to not reveal the truth to you come from the orders of our lord, who did not find you prepared to receive this news, given the history of events that occurred every time you and your Belmont's friends had find out about his return in the past."

Alucard looked away, unable to counteract that.

"Although this time..." Death went on, seeming to take great account of something. "You really decided to end this old feud between you... didn't you, Belmont?"

The dhampir stared at Julius in disbelief.

"You _knew it_?!"

"I..." The hunter stammered in embarrassment. "I was sure not long ago... We talked, he and I... I decided to give him a vow of trust."

The dark-haired man glared at him.

"And how do you _find_ something like _that_ and you _do not tell me_?!"

"He made me promise to not tell you, Alucard... I'm sorry..." Julius turned his attention to the battlefield, his face guilty.

"I warned you that this could end up happening..." Yoko's voice made itself present as the witch watched the two vampires, but not distracted from the conversation that had begun between them.

"He-Hey! Wait a minute! Don't tell me that _everyone_ here _knew_ that he was out there wandering around being _Dracula_ with fangs and all _again_?!" Hammer questioned with some indignation.

"Yes..." Mina whispered in a small voice filled with some guilt, though worried she continued to search with her eyes for her longtime friend.

"I didn't know..." The blond-haired woman replied. "But as I said before, I warned that this could end up happening... Our luck is that he woke up without changing inside..."

Yoko then looked directly into Alucard's black eyes.

"I once told you that your presence now in Soma's life is completely constant... I don't know what kind of conversations you both had these last few weeks, but it was you who prevented him from falling into the same darkness he had throw himself completely in the past. As much as you blame yourself for leaving Castlevania without having helped him back then, you did it now, Alucard."

The dhampir stared at her, his expression filled with surprise and his black eyes gleamed with contained emotion, but he did not give any reply to the woman. His attention returned to his father who at that very moment charged again against Graham.

The two vampires struck at the same time, the glittering silver of their swords met in the air. Soma pushed his opponent violently and shot a precise kick that Graham managed to dodge, leaning to the side. The man with long silver hair was suddenly enveloped by a white light and he struck his attack on the floor, creating translucent circles on the ground where, seconds later, columns of bluish and lethal energy sprouted and began to chase his opponent through the extension of the courtyard.

Soma dodged quickly, moving away from the other vampire rolling across the floor and leaping away. He did not wait and also invoking his magic, he caused a hundred scythes to appear in the air and threw them at his enemy who teleported to another part of the area to avoid the attack; the sickles devastated the place where he had been, burying itselves in the concrete and cracking the ground in several places.

Not a second had passed after Graham reappeared on the other spot, he immediately turned, raised his sword and blocked a brutal onslaught from his adversary, who executed a quick sequence of blows that the vampire found certain difficulty to follow and successfully block.

Graham tried to gain the advantage of the duel to himself and used his powers to block the last blow of his opponent and stun him for a few seconds, delivered a violent punch that hit completely Soma's face, disorienting him momentarily, and chanting a ancient rite he summoned a dozen stone creatures that rose from the ground obeying the command of their master, who immediately teleported to the top a tower, taking on a safe distance.

Soma looked at the siege of monsters advancing against him and with features filled with contempt, just raised his hand up as his body was shrouded in shadows, beginning to emanate an intense black magic that grew around him. His golden eyes glittered dangerously, and the silver-haired man suddenly disappeared. Beneath the group of monsters that had just been grouped together where he had been, appeared a large black circle that filled the length of the floor, and suddenly five-meter-tall thorns sprang up from the circle and rose upwards like stakes, impaling violently all creatures whose bodies began to crumble before the powerful counterattack.

"You will need a lot more than this pathetic sample of power to defeat me, Walter." Soma spoke dryly after resurfacing next to the vampire, watching him impassively.

Graham smirked cynically.

"Your extreme confidence will be your ruin, Mathias!"

The red-eyed vampire's body was enveloped by a strong red and malignant light that seemed to distort the scenery around him, and then suddenly it exploded, spreading through the environment, destroying everything it touched.

Soma teleported immediately to another part of the same tower. The ancient building began to crumble into thousands pieces and the debris, propelled by the attack, was forcefully thrown away and the golden-eyed vampire was likewise flung through the air. In the middle air his body gleamed with a pale golden light that wrapped him completely in half a second and disappeared the next instant. The man fell swiftly towards a completely flooded area that was part of the decoration of the outer courtyard and which descended in more than five meters of depth, but instead of sinking, Soma slid on the surface of the water and stopped still above it, completely recovering his balance.

His golden eyes filled with great fury hunted for his opponent who had also landed safely at another part of the opposite end of the area. A flurry of flames then appeared in his right fist and lifting up his arm, without hesitation the vampire struck the air and three gigantic fireballs left his fist in his enemy's direction.

The attack swiftly crossed the courtyard, destroying the stone floor. Graham quickly turned around and noticing the magic attack coming, he jumped immediately, the propulsion thrust him many feet up and forward in the air. The fireballs collided with violence against the building, causing that entire sector and another tower to collapse, and the castle shook hard in its foundations.

Concentrating all his power on one of his hands, still in middle air, Graham struck a powerful magic wave of bluish energy against his opponent that quickly crossed the distance between them. Soma barely intercepted the attack, and having no time to dodge, he lifted his left hand before him and received all the power of the attack against his palm, pushing him violently back.

The silver-haired man slid across the surface of the water that rose to upwards with the propulsion of the wave and evaporated with the intense heat that it concentrated. Still being swiftly pushed backwards, crossing the flooded area to quickly be propelled against the concrete floor, Soma with great effort finally managed to stop several meters later, still holding all the power of the magic that had attacked him concentrated in a small sphere that gleamed dangerously in his left hand. The sleeve of his shirt was completely destroyed and part of his arm got severely burned.

Grimly, Soma looked for Graham and saw him still falling towards the courtyard, and without hesitation he grabbed the magic ball in his left fist and using his power, he caused the shadows to once again envelop his body and propel him upwards towards his enemy in a whirlwind of dark flames that surrounded him in mid air and took on the shape of a great black dragon whose wings majestically struck the air, flying towards its opponent.

Graham's eyes widened in surprise and he prepared to receive the impact. The dragon opened its huge mouth and swallowed him completely, and inside the ocean of shadows, the two vampires met again.

Soma gave a slight sword blow that was easily blocked by the other man's silver weapon, and then they both attacked at the same time. Graham struck a sharp, deep horizontal cut that violently pierced his opponent's left side and Soma, spinning in mid-air, returned Graham's magic, ruthlessly hitting the glowing sphere in the other man's face.

Graham felt all the destructive force of the attack that he himself had created, mixed with the other's dark power, and was hurled away with great force. He fell towards the ground, banging violently against several columns of stone that plummeted completely with the impact and speed of his body, which after several meters finally stopped motionless on the ground.

Soma plummeted to the opposite side, the propulsion pushed him hard and he also slammed violently against the side of another tower, completely destroying that part of the structure and then falling to his feet on the upper wing of the outer courtyard near where his friends stood under the influence of the black spell. And as soon as his feet touched the ground the man fell hard to his knees, coughing and spitting a great deal of blood while holding the left side of his body where the crimson liquid overflowed abundantly.

Trembling, using his free arm to partially support himself, the vampire took a deep shaking breath while trying to control the immense pain that exploded and took over his entire body. His regeneration ability was active and working as fast as it could to close the wound, but it was deep and caused by a sheer silver blade that made the process even slower and painful.

He thought he heard several voices calling him, but he could hardly tell what they were saying. In that moment everything had become vague and disconnected as he struggled to regain the balance of his body as soon as possible.

In his mind he listened to the dry, ruthless clicks of an imaginary clock that seemed to count to him the passing of seconds that were rapidly declining like the steady drop of the fine sand of an hourglass. He could _feel_ his time begin to wear out, and inwardly Soma began to despair.

With great effort he wiped his face with his arm and rose to his feet, looking at the expanse of the outer courtyard he found that Graham had also succeeded in doing the same, and at that moment, with his noble suit torn, dyed red, burned and destroyed at several parts, standing next to the last column he had collided with, the left side of his face severely wounded and bloody, the vampire stared at him with red eyes filled with pure hatred.

"MATHIAS!" Graham screamed in rage. "THIS DOESN'T _MEAN_ ANYTHING! _I WILL DESTROY YOU_!"

Soma remained silent, breathing heavily, keeping his hand on the wound trying to staunch the bleeding. His eyes darted away from his opponent for a brief second and his attention fell on the group trapped in the powerful and lethal black magic. It was expanding quickly and Death was no longer able to slow its advance. Both vampires had been fighting for almost half an hour and he hadn't had _any second more_ to lose.

He needed to finish that duel at that precise moment or otherwise...

Unwillingly his gaze met again with the dark eyes of his son, who stared at him with strong emotion. Soma was moved and felt his chest being filled with deep sentiment. He knew what he had to do to make his adversary open his guard, and made a decision; the dhampir, recognizing that evenly look as a silent farewell, the same look the vampire gave him on the night of 1999, widened his eyes, struck by fear, and Soma purposely turned his face away towards his opponent.

"Come on then, Walter! Let's finish this once and for all!"

Soma tossed away the silver sword he held in his hand as Graham teleported himself to the same level as the other vampire, about twenty yards away.

Both men stared at one another deathly, the rain pouring heavy on their faces, and after a flash of lightning struck the sky, they hurled themselves against each other to deliver the final blow.

Graham struck, his silver sword glittering with a voracious glow, and Soma stepped sideways and received the full blow of the weapon that pierced him completely in the chest, just millimeters above his heart. The other, in turn, grasped his opponent's right arm with his left hand, maintaining the sword, preventing his adversary from pulling it out, and with his free fist gleaming a reddish magic, Soma struck a straight blow across the other's chest, hitting the vampire's heart, who stared at him with a deeply shocked expression.

The magic began to fall apart, spreading through Graham's body, destroying each of one of its cells and tearing apart every bit of the length of his soul. The light went out completely from the vampire's eyes as his existence was consumed permanently by the force of the mortal blow. Graham's aura disappeared and the lethal spell working on the farthest group also fell apart at once.

Breathing heavily, Soma released the other man and broke the chain he had around his neck, taking the Ebony Stone to himself. Then with a kick he jerked his opponent's body toward the abyss, and it fell through the outer wall outside the castle, disappearing into the darkness.

The remaining vampire withdrew with a sharp thrust the sword from his chest and the blood spurted even more abundantly from the two deep wounds in his body, dyeing his black garment in crimson and all the ground at his feet. Soma released the weapon that fell on the floor with a thud, his sight darkened and his body plummeted, leaning towards the abyss.

Suddenly something grabbed his arm and pulled him back before it was too late and he felt himself fall to the ground supported by someone's embrace, and he thought he heard his son's familiar voice calling him distantly, but the rain continued to fall hard and his conscience surrendered to complete darkness.


	15. Chapter 15: Adrian

_Greetings! Welcome to the last chapter of Castlevania: It's Never Late for Forgiveness._

 _I want to thank all of you who accompanied this project during these three months of posting, all people who viewed, followed, favorited and commented on this story. I appreciate the comments; thank you for sharing with me your opinion about my work, for me its important and as a writer it certainly helps me to improve my writing and my texts even more._

 _About Castlevania I hope to have contributed with a work worthy of this fantastic series of games, it is my favorite series and I will always have with me a special_ _fondness for each one of these characters that have been portrayed here. I loved write this fanfiction, surelly it was one of the best works I've ever written, in my opinion. It was a pleasure to share with you, I sincerely hope you've enjoyed it. I also hope that this last chapter, for you, may be of a pleasant reading and make worth the long time of waiting you had until the completion of this work.  
_

 _This last chapter is my favorite of all. I dedicate it to my wife, who always supports me in my projects, and I also dedicate it to each one of you, who have come this far to the end._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Lyon Heitor ~ Altheryon_

 _..._

Chapter 15 – Adrian

Darkness was the only thing that existed around him.

In that place that seemed so distant from the reality where he lived, he was completely aware of himself, of his past and of his present that had merged itselves into one. Lying on a bed of shadows, he felt that darkness linger around him, approaching him and embracing him like an old acquaintance he had not seen for a long time.

There was no hatred or pain... Anger or sadness... Uncertainties or worries...

He was not afraid.

Several moments he felt himself walking on the thin line between the two worlds, bordering the portals of life and death. The ghosts of his past weren't there... He was alone at the mercy of his own thoughts.

That strange world seemed to await a decision... It offered him the chance to make a choice, and he knew what that meant.

For many times, as he reflected on everything that had happened, he felt very inclined to take a step forward and enter the portal... Allow himself to completely surrender to that darkness and thus let his vital essence be completely extinguished from that world, erasing with him all the marks that he had left in the history of mankind.

But... Whenever he intended to go ahead he felt something hold his hand and prevent him from proceeding. It was a warm, comfortable energy that enveloped him and seemed to know _exactly_ what was happening to him at that moment. It then seemed to engage his subconscious mind, trying to convince him to give up his purposes, and when he did, he was completely still again with the chance of the choice that was presented to him.

It seemed like an eternity passed... Or was it just a few hours...? He couldn't tell for sure...

That strange and annoying energy gradually seemed to grow stronger and insistent, trying to pull him away from that place at all costs, and it was with some resignation that he succumbed to that silent plea, and as he moved away from the portal, it started becoming less and less present, guiding him through the darkness in the opposite direction, accompanying him to some extent of that tortuous path, where he then continued to walk alone until the whole scene around him changed.

He began to feel his body more present, just as the feeling of being in an unknown place became stronger as the numbness subsided, and the vampire finally awoke from his slumber.

Soma found himself in a place that was totally foreign to him; he was lying down, his body full of bandages, on a bed in the center of the room which had blue walls and carpet in a dark brown color, little furniture that consisted of two nightstands and a chair by the bed, a small shelf with some books on the opposite side, close to a wardrobe. There were two windows, one next to him hidden by heavy layers of curtains, and a second one more distant, half open, allowing a regular breeze and the pale daylight to pass in a way that was not offensive to him.

"You're finally awake." The vampire looked to his side and saw Yoko standing next to the door.

"Where am I? How long have I been unconscious?" He muttered in a lower voice.

"As the Belmont mansion was almost completely destroyed in Walter's attack, we are now in my home, in the Belnades mansion. It's not that far from where we were before." The witch informed, approaching the bed and sitting on the chair next to it. "Now about you, you've been out for two weeks."

"Two weeks?!" Soma inquired incredulously.

"Yes... Even being a vampire now you were very injured and lost a lot of blood. Walter's sword also had some kind of poison, it was difficult to extract it to allow your body to recover."

The woman paused for a moment staring at the floor of the room, then looking straight at the silver-haired man she said almost in a timid whisper.

"By the way... Thanks... For saving us."

"You wouldn't be there at first if it were not because of me." He replied in the same tone.

"You had no obligation after you remembered what I, Julius and Alucard did..."

She remembered him gently and Soma noticed the nervousness the woman was trying to hide at all costs, failing miserably.

"I... I care..." He decided to say. "As I was recovering my memories, in time I've learned to accept... I don't hold any grudges, Yoko, what you've done... It was necessary... I hope you don't hold anything on me also..."

The witch denied, shaking her head and showing a small smile, clearly relieved and more at ease.

"The others will be glad to know that you finally woke. They were worried."

It made him turn his face away to look to another spot of the room.

"How did they..." He didn't finish the question, feeling a lump in his throat, but she understood and answered him promptly.

"Julius and Mina, as they already knew, weren't as surprised to the reason about why the Belmont mansion was attacked that night after you left. Hammer, when he discovered it, was a little astonished, but soon accepted. His only concern is you now being aware that he was selling your things he had taken in Castlevania over the last few years and that you would suck all his blood out for it, as he had said, but I was able to convince him that you would not mind it _that_ much."

The vampire shook his head, amused.

"I already imagined that one day it might end up happening and I'm really relieved to know that you will not go crazy again and kill me in retaliation for having invoked the spell that disintegrated your other body and sealed your castle inside the Eclipse..."

The witch spoke the last part acquiring new nervousness in her voice while confessing what she had done, Soma just laughed lightly as he watched her.

"Yoko stay calm... it's in the past."

She smiled sheepishly.

His face then took on a more serious expression and her gaze softened in understanding.

"Alucard..." She started slowly. "He was quite surprised, but he didn't have a negative reaction, you know? If this is your concern, you can rest assured... It was he who held you there just in time on the castle and didn't let you fall on the abyss."

"Is he here now?" Soma inquired in a low voice.

"No..." The woman answered and he turned away again.

"I understand..."

Seeing a shadow filling the countenance of her friend, she immediately spoke.

"He came here several times to visit you during these weeks... He usually stayed here for a while, sitting in this chair watching you or holding your hand... You were so still and not breathing that there were times it seemed that you had really died, although he insisted on telling us the opposite... For those who looked at you it seemed that you were almost there, you know... Even removing the poison and having your body completely recovered in a few days you never woke up, on the contrary, you seemed to weaken with each passing day, as if you had no desire to return or the will to continue living among us..."

The vampire turned away, remaining silent, and Yoko stared at him with understanding and sympathy, she said softly.

"I talked to him several times, advising him, trying to persuade him to talk to you before something bad happened and it would be too late to do anything... Julius and I always knew he was your son... I don't know what you both talked during these weeks while you were together in the Belmont mansion, but I realized that you two had approached one another... I am grateful... Because it was not too late..."

He stared at her with genuine surprise flickering in his golden eyes; she smiled slightly and took his hand, telling him.

"I really appreciate the friendship I have with you."

The vampire nodded slowly, affected by strong emotion, and gently stroked the witch's hand back in a gesture of acceptance.

After a few minutes of silence, he then inquired in a low voice.

"Did he say when he would come back...?"

"No..." she replied timidly. "I'm sorry, Soma..."

The man plunged into silence, immersed in his own thoughts and Yoko, deciding to give him a moment, stood up.

"I'll be back in a minute."

The witch left the room and returned a few minutes later with Mina, whose face lit up when she saw him awakened by the first time after the mortal duel. The young priestess immediately approached her friend and sat on the chair where Yoko had been, embracing him as he gently returned the gesture.

"I'm glad to see you're fine..." She spoke in a choked voice.

"Yes..." he said, pulling away a little and forcing a small smile on his lips.

"Also I brought something that could improve your mood!" Yoko said cheerfully and placed a goblet on the nightstand beside the bed.

Soma looked at it incredulous.

"What is it?" The witch asked. "Will not you take it?"

He stared at her blankly.

"But Yoko... That's _blood_!"

"And...? Do not tell me you're going to make a big fuss of it now?!" Yoko said impatiently, putting her hands on her waist and looking at her friend from above.

He kept staring at her in disbelief without moving; it wasn't like you could easily take _blood_ out of nowhere.

The woman rolled her eyes.

"You've spent _centuries_ drinking it _and_ we have put a good amount down your throat while you were unconscious to try to replace what you had lost. We _didn't_ _kill_ anyone to get it, we just had a bit of work to blackmail a nearby hospital with a management shrouded in corruption schemes and bribe one and another employee to get a little from time to time, but nothing too much, so it's a completely legal blood!"

" _Legal?!_ " Soma shook his head slowly.

"Yes, _legal_." She emphasized. "Then stop making that nauseous face and drink it at once!"

The vampire obeyed after a moment, he took the goblet and drank all its contents, only then realizing the great thirst he was feeling and after consuming completely the crimson liquid until it made him finally sated, the witch nodded satisfied.

Yoko started talking nonstop about the rebuilding of the Belmont mansion while Mina held both Soma's hands and smiled at him. The silver-haired man leaned back on the bed and silently listened patiently to what his friend was saying.

...

The next few days were quiet and the vampire fully recovered from his confrontation with Walter. Even now with his secret blown to the four winds and all his friends fully aware of his current situation, none of them had changed the way they treated him, standing by his side and worrying about his well-being and recovery.

He spent a major part of his time in the company of Mina, Yoko and Julius. Hammer stayed for a few more days and then returned to Japan to continue tending the store with the promise of returning to Europe soon. As for the dhampir, he has not seen him since that night.

Soma didn't know what to think about it... Even with Yoko's words telling him that his son had been there several times in the mansion while he had been unconscious, after he had awakened he hadn't heard any news from the other man, and the silence seemed to torture his soul deeply, though his torment the vampire decided to keep only for himself.

He had no right to demand Adrian's presence there... Not after all... And as the days went on he felt as if he were wearing a cold, bitter mantle that internally plunged his spirit into a state of numbness entwined with a deep sensation of emptiness.

That night the vampire was on the second floor of the Belnades mansion, inside the library that was partially illuminated by the flames of a small fireplace. The golden light touched his pale, aristocratic face, and standing by the window the vampire tasted a goblet of blood as he stared up at the dark sky and the forest surrounding the building, wrapped in a vast mantle of shadows.

He was alone at that moment, one of the rare occasions when he allowed himself to move completely away from others to give his attention entirely to his own thoughts. His friends, when they perceived his desire to be alone, respected his silent request and no one disturbed the quietness that had settled in the room.

It passed some time before his thoughts were suddenly broken as the vampire noticed a different sound cutting through the night. His golden eyes glimpsed perfectly in the dark a vehicle pass the property gates and down through the dirt road towards the mansion, disappearing into the bend of the building and he heard the engine sound off when it parked in front of the entrance door.

Soma took another sip of the goblet, feeling his throat tighten and his mouth dry. He would recognize his son's car anywhere.

He had returned.

Suddenly nervous the silver-haired man stood motionless staring at the window. A few minutes later he heard the sound of footsteps echoing in the second floor until they stopped completely outside his door, and without any knock, it opened and closed again. Although the silence returned to the environment, he felt clearly that he was no longer alone in the room and the familiar presence just a few steps away made him completely uneasy.

Without turning around, the vampire drank again from the goblet and was the first to break the silence.

"I thought you would not come."

"I would not fail to come..." The other replied, watching the silver-haired man. "We have a lot to talk... Father."

Soma nodded slowly in agreement, but remained silent, observing the night.

After a brief moment it was the dhampir who began to speak.

"Sometimes during these last few years I wanted to talk to you... But without your memories it was impossible. I have also often distanced myself believing it would be the best, for the new life given to you is a gift, an opportunity for a second chance that should not be tainted by dark and distant memories... But now... This is no longer a barrier between us."

Soma frowned, after a new moment of silence he began to say slowly.

"I know... you did not want me to awaken... I understand, since I brought you a lot of trouble every time I returned." Closing his eyes, the vampire breathed deeply more of nervousness than out of necessity, and forced himself to continue. "I wish I could have been stronger to prevent this, but I wasn't... Not now... not in the past..."

Soma stared at the goblet in his hand, saying in bitter words.

"I could not fight the evil rising within me, on the contrary... My hatred was so intense that I fed these feelings and I threw myself into the abyss in which I survived during the centuries that passed after your mother's death and after you've run away from home."

The dhampir made a move to speak, but the other man didn't give him the chance.

"I understand and I do not blame you for this... I've pushed you away from myself. Your attempts to speak to me to reconsider my attitudes, Lisa's last words... They reached deaf ears and the darkness in my soul was so dense that nothing was able to pierce it so that I could see the light again... I didn't even allow myself to leave my own hatred; it was the only thing that I had left."

The vampire closed his eyes and also added slowly, visibly struggling to say his next words in a neutral tone.

"I'll understand if you decide to leave completely, I will not force you to anything... I just want you to be sure that I will not lay my hands on humanity again. I will not bring any more trouble to you and Julius on this matter."

"I know you will keep your word... I've heard about the agreement you made with Julius. He only told me after that night... He has respected your request for silence."

Soma didn't do or say anything about that statement, and in the face of the new silence that had settled in the room, the dhampir decided to approach, his footsteps echoing lightly on the library's floor. He had already noticed the nervousness the vampire tried to conceal, and with his approach he realized that the silver-haired man was also trembling, subtly, almost imperceptibly.

The damphir stopped closer, and then asked softly.

"Father... Look at me... Won't you let me see your face as we speak?"

Soma took a deep breath.

That request, though simple, for him at that moment was something hard to concede. Now that they were both alone, his rational mind being able to analyze everything through the eyes of reason, the silver-haired man felt himself heavily weighed down by the burden of guilt from his past actions. The truth was that he was ashamed to look at his son, for he remembered each time that he had mistreated him by letting himself be carried away by the hatred, rancor, and contempt he had cultivated in his heart for all those centuries. And even then, recently while 'asleep' he had been at his side trying to help him in the shadows. And even after fully awake, the dhampir was still there, standing in that room, waiting for his reaction.

Nodding slowly, the vampire turned to face the other man and could not contain the shock that filled his expression. With wide-eyed eyes mixed in perplexity and deep emotion, he saw his son for the first time in centuries in his true appearance.

Adrian was close, only three paces away. He was elegantly dressed that night, but instead of his dark suit he wore only a white shirt unbuttoned on the first two buttons. His long golden hair fluttered to his waist, his pale, aristocratic face still showing the same youth as it had when he'd last seen him. His eyes, as golden as his own, glimmered also with strong emotion.

The dhampir looked at Soma's face for a long time, allowing himself to see completely in the silver-haired man the figure of the father he had long been reluctant to see, to accept that even in that new life given to the vampire before him, though different in appearance, remained the same soul with all the memories of that distant and remote time.

A heavy silence fell on the room. They both stared at one another for a while, as if they had not truly seen each other before and now sought to discover every detail on the other's face.

For Soma it was as if life brought to the present something that once remained only as a distant reminder of his past. Even though he knew that 'Genya Arikado' was his son and had long ago overcome the surprise of rediscovery, he couldn't explain the force of the feeling that filled his being at that very moment when he saw the other man's true appearance.

The dhampir, in turn, could now clearly see in the other the same familiar imposing in the way he carried himself, the same familiar weight of his gaze, still as strong and piercing as it were before, now filled with great surprise. Eyes that showed no madness or cruelty or coldness, but instead revealed the same mild and gentle look he had not _seem_ in _many_ centuries past…

It was _his_ father.

Adrian inhaled deeply, struck by a sudden strong feeling that left him internally shaken. And as he watched Soma, he also realized how much his decision to completely break the illusion that had been acting on his body for many years had profoundly affected the vampire, who reduced to absolute silence, could not do anything but stare at the golden-haired man.

The dhampir, after what seemed almost an eternity, was the one who broke the silence, beginning to speak softly.

"There is something I longed to explain to you, but I never had the opportunity to do it... You were blinded by darkness..."

Soma then answered, his voice on the edge of a whisper.

"You don't have to explain anything to me, Adrian..." The vampire's golden eyes filled with sadness. "Your choices and decisions have brought you the best... What you believed was right and you became the man your mother would have taken great pride in having as her son..."

"I want to, because I _need_ to speak..." Adrian cut him off gently, watching him, his eyes pleaded for the other to hear him this time and Soma accepted, remaining silent. "...and even if you deny it, you also _need_ to listen."

In the face of the stillness that settled serenely in the room, the dhampir then began to tell him quietly, slowly, to allow the other man to assimilate the information as he spoke.

"That night after you saved me and Death brought me back to Castlevania, I could not sleep, tormented by what had happened to mother... Deep down I knew she had died... I went to the Throne Room where we used to spend the night together. I wanted to feel her presence, to seek comfort in some way, even if it was through my own memories..."

Adrian paused for a brief moment, and looking straight at Soma, told him slowly.

"I saw you... when you returned to the castle, carrying her body wrapped in your cloak... Your clothes were destroyed and you were completely covered with blood... Your face was transformed into a mask of indifference... Your eyes were so cold and full of hatred that I did not recognize you... I hid myself, and Death came to you. I listened to all the conversation..."

 _The creature stopped in front of his master, watching him as if trying to understand the scene before him. Confusion that gradually transformed into cruel understanding emanated from the most faithful servant of the vampire, and in a low voice, mixed in acceptance and a lament, Death inquired submissively._

 _"What have you done... My lord?"_

 _Mathias barely glanced at him; his aristocratic face was soaked in blood, as well as all his noble clothes, which at several points were ripped apart. In his arms he carried the body of the only woman he had ever loved in human life as well in the immortal life, carefully wrapped in the black-red cloak he had used earlier that afternoon to go to the village._

 _With his face turned into a mask of contempt and indifference, golden eyes glimmering with voracious hatred, his voice echoed icily through the Throne Room, bringing chills even to the creature that silent waited his master's response._

 _"I killed them all."_

Adrian observed Soma in silence with his countenance showing compassion, even as the other man closed his eyes and turned his face away, breathing deeply, no doubt reliving that exact instant of the past. The dhampir waited patiently for the right moment to proceed, watching the vampire lean against the window ledge for support and only minutes later he opened his eyes again, dark with deep emotion, staring at the floor of the library unable to look at his son's face.

"Although I have heard stories about your deeds before," Adrian continued softly. "Synthesized and censored, about the wars in the name of the church, I couldn't believe you were capable of such an atrocity..."

The golden-haired man sighed.

"Days later when I had the chance I fled Castlevania and went back to the village... I found only devastation, blood and death... I saw what you did and I weakened... I feared for me... I feared for the humans that Mother beseeched as her last wish that no evil should fall upon them ... And I wasn't able to return... Because I feared the night and all that it harbored under _your_ power..."

Breathing heavily and trembling, Soma suddenly left the window and walked to the desk on the opposite side of the room to stand as far as he could from the other man on the pretext of pouring himself another glass of blood. He took a bottle in his hands and filled the goblet with the red liquid again and talked to his son without looking at him.

"I told you that I didn't blame you for leaving, but knowing now that you went to the village and _saw_ _that_... You were just a child, Adrian... You should never have seen something like that... It was extremely wrong of me to accuse you of treason later, when I was the one responsible for making you take this decision."

Soma felt suffocated; he wanted to get away from that conversation, but he couldn't. He was no coward to turn his back on his past and not bear the consequences of the acts he had done, and also, it was something he owed to the dhampir. The next words came out harsh and completely bitter from his mouth.

"The deaths of these people fall completely upon me, and I will carry them for all eternity."

Seeing that the other was unconsciously drifting away from him, Adrian suddenly cut the distance between them, surprising the vampire, who let the goblet fall to the floor, breaking into pieces and tainting the carpet at their feet with blood, but none gave it any importance and the golden-haired man held the other by the shoulders.

"Father..."

With effort Soma forced himself to look again at the other man's face, his golden eyes wearing an impassive mask. The dhampir watched him, and his gaze seemed to reach deep into the vampire's soul.

"Even after all these years... I still feel that I shouldn't have left you..." Adrian's voice was just a whisper audible only to the silver-haired man. "Mother believed in your love and the goodness that existed in your heart and I should have done the same... Stood by your side to help you overcome the darkness of chaos..."

The mask on Soma's face broke.

"What I did that night can't be erased, Adrian..."

"You were wrong... The villagers too... There's no way to forget something like that."

The dhampir nodded his head in agreement.

"But you can compensate by seeking to use all your knowledge and your powers now to do the good for the people who needs it."

Keeping both hands on the vampire's shoulders, Adrian continued to observe him with golden eyes glimmering with strong emotion.

"What happened after her death… A great deal could have been avoided if I had stayed at Castlevania... I also have a part on the blame of what you've become..." His voice then broke as he whispered. "Forgive me... father..."

Tears streamed down on Soma's face.

"It's I..." He shook his head slowly, telling him in a ragged whisper. "Who needs to ask your forgiveness..."

The silver-haired man inhaled sharply as if trying to fill his lungs with the air he lacked. Stricken by a deep emotion that was clearly present in his countenance, he didn't turn his gaze away from the dhampir's face as he spoke weakly.

"I have failed you... I wasn't the father you deserved to have had; I was not by your side when you needed it most... I was blind to the little you asked of me and I have no part in what made you the good man that you are today... This is my worst punishment after losing Lisa... I also lost you..."

Soma closed his eyes to try to contain the tears that insisted on coming strongly, his voice sounded extremely tired.

"The years have passed... and I continue to wander, suffocating on bitter memories... wishing I could live again the seven years I've spent with you and Lisa..."

Adrian, listening to those words, could not contain the tears that also slid down his face, and he let himself finally succumb to his heart's desire and embraced the other man tightly, surprising him. Soma widened his eyes, stunned in awe.

"You didn't lost me..." The dhampir told him. "We may have followed different paths, but I've always been here, waiting for the day when you'd finally see and hear me. I deeply lamented the last few centuries because I have never forgotten the devoted father that you have been to me during those seven years..."

"Adrian..." Soma began to say, but the other shook his head.

"You are still my father... I do not care what name you have or what life you live today... I am still your son... We cannot change what happened in the past, but I want to start over again, _our_ future, if you also wish for it..."

The golden-haired man backed away subtly and watched him with a small smile on his face.

"I know that starting over again is never easy... But I'll help you give the first steps. I think that mother must always be watching us wherever she is now; we are still a family and like her..." Adrian looked into his eyes and ended softly. "...I believe in you."

Fresh new tears streamed down Soma's face, and filled with deep emotion he let himself be carried away by his son's embrace, returning the gesture with tenderness.

"I want this too..." he whispered back. "My son..."

Adrian tightened his arms around the other men, those two simply words touching his heart deeply, and he let the tears fall freely on his face, washing away all the bitterness and sadness from all those years. Soma closed his eyes, feeling for the first time in long centuries a deep peace over his soul, and thought, then, that he was finally able to find the redemption he sought.

...

Some days later, under the glare of the full moon, Yoko performed a new ritual and with the help of Julius she was able to free Castlevania from within the Eclipse and the castle turned to resurface in the earth, invoked on a distant and forgotten part of Romania, surrounded by a vast forest that extended for long miles without any sign of civilization.

Together the six friends entered the imposing and ancient building.

Soma led the group, being accompanied by Mina who walked at his right side and had her arm intertwined with his. While the priestess looked at the scenery with great admiration, marveled for the last time she had been there she hadn't entered into the castle, the vampire observed his home with a distant expression, filled with great sense of nostalgia.

Such a sentiment laid in Adrian's heart who walked at his father's left side in his real appearance, staring at the castle with golden eyes filled with longing, for it had been a long time since he had entered Castlevania without having to fight against the creatures he had known since childhood and feeling truly welcome there, and, looking at Soma, feeling as if after a long journey he was finally coming back home.

A little further behind Yoko, Hammer, and Julius followed, the witch chatted animatedly with both men and the ex-military laughed loudly as he answered the woman. The hunter stared at the creatures that lived in the castle and that came in hundreds into the corridors of the Entrance Hall to greet them, bowing in respect to the Lord of the Eternal Night, to the prince and his guests, feeling rather queer.

With the fire that destroyed a major part of the Belmont Mansion, the rebuilding would take about four months to restore all affected areas and Julius accepted the vampire's invitation to stay in Castlevania during that period of time.

Then, as he walked down the corridors feeling a bit out of place, watching as an skeleton approached to offer them something to drink, he was sure that his ancestors should be rolling inside their graves at that very moment, but the Belmont heir stayed quiet, watching his friends with a small smile on his face feeling at peace and pleased to know that some things that were important to him Soma had managed to save from the manor before the fire consumed it completely, like the frame of Leon that now hung in the room assigned to him there in the castle.

The group advanced slowly across several areas as they climbed up the imposing building to reach the Throne Room, and in the middle of the path Death appeared and accompanied them as he spoke with his master. When they finally reached their destination, the group stopped in the middle of the room while talking about light subjects and Soma moved away from them for a moment.

The vampire walked slowly forward, observing the throne of the Eternal Night with a grave and thoughtful expression. He climbed the small staircase and touched the armband of the seat, feeling the familiar velvety surface beneath the palm of his hand.

When he realized, Adrian had also stopped at his side.

"So... will you just keep staring at it or will you finally sit down?" He asked with amusement.

"I don't know..." Soma replied with a small smile. "I think I'm too old for this; after so many crazy ghosts from the past chasing me and the lunatic cults still trying to resurrect me even after I reincarnated, I was thinking of retiring and pass it down to my heir."

Adrian turned abruptly to stare at him with great surprise in his golden eyes, and then suddenly shaking his head he began to laugh, placing a hand on the vampire's shoulder.

"Sorry, Father, but I'll let it go. I am still very young, with many centuries to live ahead to stress my head with this kind of thing. I'm afraid to inform you that you're still stuck with it."

"The nerve of it..." The vampire muttered in disbelief, amused, also shaking his head. Adrian winked, gave two slaps on his shoulder and walked back to the main group still laughing slightly.

Soma sat down on the throne, the Ebony and Crimson stones, united again, were hanging around his neck and shone brightly as if to hail the return of the Lord of the Eternal Night, together with a small silver chain that gleamed the numbers of Route 66.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and suddenly he felt a soft kiss being placed on his lips and stunned he opened his eyes again, but saw nothing different. Then a soft breeze wandered the hall, touching his face in a gentle caress, and the man clearly _felt_ the scent of roses his wife used to wear.

 _Lisa..._ He thought, affected by deep emotion. For the first time in many centuries he clearly felt her presence at his side, and he could not help but agree with what Adrian had told him early. _He was right..._

And in his heart he felt rising the small hope that one day he might be able to find her again in this world.

The vampire watched his friends talking feeling great peace in his soul. His eyes stared at his son, amazed to hear again the genuine laughter of the golden-haired man after so long time.

Smiling softly, Soma allowed himself to dive into a distant memory that suddenly started to return to him...

…

 _Walking slowly through the corridors of their home, the vampire enjoyed that moment of tranquility next to his wife, who at his side, embracing his arm and waist and with her head lying on his shoulder, sighed in contentment as her hair was gently stroked by her husband's hand._ _With so many things to do and to attend to, moments like this where the Lord of the Eternal Night and his Lady could walk in peace completely alone were rare and they used to enjoy every second they had._

 _"So..." His voice suddenly broke the silence. "What are you two up to?"_

 _"Why do you think so, my dear?"_ _Lisa asked innocently._

 _"Because you look very suspicious." The vampire give her with an observant stare._

 _"Mathias..." The woman laughed softly and stroked his arm. "Do not be boring and please collaborate with the little surprise your son wants to make for you."_

 _"Surprise eh?" The man muttered without much belief that a boy with only five years old could do something that would really surprise him._

 _"Yes." Lisa smiled. "You will see it soon."_

 _They continued walk along the hall that would led them to the Throne Room in a few minutes, and as they entered their destination Mathias stood in the doorway, his golden eyes unconsciously wide with genuine surprise._

 _His little blond-haired son was sitting on_ his _throne, watching him with his small smiley face flushed and filled with mischief. Around his neck the fusion of Ebony and Crimson Stones glowed brightly as if it were_ laughing _at his shocked expression._

 _The man ran his hands through his long black hair and placing it both on his waist trying to look severe, but couldn't stop the smile that escaped on his lips._

 _"It cannot be... While I slept a new lord took over Castlevania and now rules in_ my place _?!"_

 _The boy began to laugh with his bright golden eyes fixed on his father._

 _"This is something I cannot accept!" Mathias exclaimed dramatically. "I will defy you to a duel and regain my honor and my throne!"_

 _The vampire advanced._

 _"NO!" Adrian screamed, swooping down from the throne and starting to run around the room to escape the man at any cost._

 _"It's not fair to use your powers to 'defeat him,' Mathias!" Lisa called, her angelic voice echoed through the place, and the woman amused herself, unable to stop laughing hard while watching her husband run from one side to another trying to catch their son without much success._

 _Soon the boy started to get tired and the vampire took advantage of the chance, with a quick movement he grabbed the child, who shouted surprised, threw him over his own shoulder, carried him back to where he had been before, sat Adrian on the throne again and the man knelt down before him._

 _"Looks like you've beat me." Mathias said, laughing softly. "You sure know how to get someone tired."_

 _"I don't want to take care of the castle, father!" The boy whined._

 _"Well, why not?" The man inquired, amused. "While you stay here doing all the boring part of giving orders to Death and to the other inhabitants of the castle, your mother and I could go out for a bit."_

 _"I would love to do that." The woman with long blond hair as golden as the sun said, approaching them and placing a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Sounds tempting."_

 _"It really is." He nodded in agreement._

 _"I don't want to!" Adrian exclaimed again, this time genuine concern filled his childish face. "Because the werewolves, the skeletons, the zombies, the minotaurs, they are all bigger than me! The witches find it funny and they tell me that everyone would obey me if I gave an order because I am a prince, but it is not true!"_

 _"And why not?" Mathias asked, encouraging his son's childish ramblings._

 _"Have you seen the size of the Final Guard?! Death showed me them yesterday and they are huge! They would not obey me because their heads are so high that they cannot see me and hear nothing of what I say, and I would have to ask Death to fly up and down all the time to tell them what I want! They're even bigger than you, father!"_

 _"Yes, they are, but they obey well." The vampire nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, you'll grow up soon and you'll be as tall as I am, and that throne will no longer seem so big to you."_

 _"Really?!" The boy exclaimed anxiously._

 _"Yes, that's true," Lisa replied. "And I can imagine it, you know? He would certainly be a good sovereign."_

 _"I don't want to." Adrian pouted; the vampire laughed lightly and stroked the short golden hair and the boy's face with affection._

 _"Maybe someday, my son..."_

 _Mathias smiled._

~ END ~


End file.
